Bonds
by brttmclv
Summary: Sara has been through hell and back. Between being widowed and pregnant, she's been stretched to the limit. But the only thing keeping her from loosing it all is Don Flack and a few close friends. Watch as old bonds grow stronger and new bonds are formed.
1. Head Start

_This is my new story. It came to me earlier. The season finale of Without A Trace kinda inspried it but that won't come in until later. I know my other story was neglected but I lost feeling in it and I need to figure out where to go with it. But this I will update very often. I know what I want to happen and hopefully you'll like it. Thanks!_

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The past four years have been the best of my life. I met Jason right out of the academy and we hit it off instantly. He was a couple years older then me but it didn't bother us. He was also higher in rank. Luckily, we were going to two different places. His heart in Special Victims and mine was in Homicide. We dated for just over two years before he proposed. I was over the moon. He was the only man I could see myself with. He was smart, funny and an amazing officer. Not to mention good looking. We had a pretty short engagement compared to others. Seven months after he proposed we were married. That was only about a year ago. And we were still as happy as the day we first met. Our schedules were conflicting but we made time for one another. We left work and work and personal issues and home. We didn't work together but there was the odd occasion that he was at my crime scene or in the lab.

My friends and family loved him too. My mom was smitten the moment she saw him. Most of my friends worked with me. They worked in the lab or worked in Homicide with me. My closest friend was Don Flack. He was my partner too. We had worked together since I became a detective. We loved working together and everyone else loved it too. We swept up every case with ease. It was natural being with him. Something you don't have to get used to or try to work out, it already was. He was everything. He was there for me professionally and personally. When things got rough between me and Jason, Don was there. Not that he knew anything about being married or having a serious relationship but he was there. He was my rock and I was his.

"Sara, earth to Sara." I heard a voice say. I turned in my seat to see Stella smiling a me.

"Hey. Sorry, I guess I kinda zoned out there for a minute. What's up?" I asked her as she sat on the edge of my desk.

"I see that. I'm about to go to lunch, you wanna come with?" she asked.

"Sure just let me leave Don a note." I told her. I grabbed a pen and sticky note and scribble a few words on. I reached over and stuck it on his desk.

"Out to lunch." Stella read out loud. "How original, Sara." she laughed. I poked her arm and left. We walked a few blocks to a tiny café and walked in. We sat at the farthest table in the back like usual.

"So how are you feeling?" she asked when we sat down. Lately, I had been really sick and moody. She was dead set that I was pregnant. But I hadn't missed my period.

"Fine. I'm not pregnant, Stel." I smiled at her. She waved her finger at me and shook her head.

"You won't know until you find out. I've offered to buy you a test and Hawkes has offered to do the test for you. It's simple. Pee in a cup and stick a stick in. Boom! There ya go." she told me crossing her arms.

"Danny's rubbed off on you. You better ask for some time off." I laughed. She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. "If it gets any worse I'll do something. But I'm not late and wasn't late last month either."

"Doesn't mean anything. But you need to find out soon whatever it is. You're cranky and throwing up every 10 minutes." she teased.

"Alright. I get it. I've been a bitch." I told her. She smiled at me and set her cup down.

"So what if you are?"

"Then I am." I said simply. She raised an eyebrow and glared at me. "Well, then I'll tell Jason and we'll be happy. That's it."

"So you'd be okay if you were." she asked.

"Yeah. Of course. It's mine and Jason's baby. We've talked about kids. We want them. If it happens, it happens. We just don't wanna push it or jinx it." I told her. She nodded and leaned back when the waitress set our food down. The chatter died down as we ate. I felt my phone ring when we were about to eat. I smiled at the ID and slipped it open.

"Hey, hon." I answered.

"Hey, baby. What are you doing?" Jason asked.

"Having lunch with this really hot guy." I teased. Stella looked up and stiffled a laughed.

"Oh really. Is it Don? I mean, I know he's better looking than me but he's your partner. That could cause problems." he joked back.

"No, it's not Don. No, I'm having lunch with Stella." I told him.

"So she's a man? Damn, someone better tell Mac." he laughed. I choked on my coffee and coughed. Stella looked at me weird and continued to eat.

"It's not like that. They are friends." I told him. Everyone thought Mac and Stella were an item but they weren't. They wanted to but both were too afraid to risk their friendship.

"I know. I was just calling to say hello and tell you that I love you."

"I love you too." I smiled. Stella made a gagging noise and I threw a straw at her.

"Well, I'm about to leave. We gotta raid to go to."

"Alright. Be careful. Make sure you wear a vest." I warned him. He chuckled and agreed. We hung up and I finished me lunch.

"He going on a raid or something?" Stella asked.

"Yeah. Let me pay this time. You always end up paying." I begged her. She sighed and put her wallet up. I squealed and threw some money on the table. As we walked out of the café my pager phone went off again. This time it was Don.

"What?" I answered.

"You know what? I'm tired of this, Sara. When your husband calls your all sweet and sexy but when I call I get the wicked bitch of homicide." he said in a serious tone.

"That's because he's my husband." I answered smiling.

"So I spend more time with you than he does. I can at least get a little something he does." he said. I could already the big grin plastered on his face.

"Not even in your dreams, Donnie." I told him as we walked back to the station. Stella was laughing next to me.

"Well, apparently you don't know much. Cause you're in all my dreams, doll."

"Whatever, Don. Did you call to tell me something or just to gross me out?" I asked. I was shocked when he hung up. I looked at the phone and closed it. I nearly jumped when tow arms went around me and picked me up.

"Both!" Don yelled when he picked me up. Stella laughed and walked into the station.

"Bye guys! Thanks for lunch, Sara." she said. I waved and turned around to hit Don. He laughed and pushed me to the car.

"You're an ass, you know that?" I told him as I got in the car.

"See?! You can't say you don't want me. You talk about my ass more than anyone I know. I'm gonna tell Jason." he joked. I looked over at him and smirked. I leaned over and ran my finger down the back of his neck. I felt him stiffen and grip the wheel.

"You're right, Don. I've been lying to myself this whole time. It's not Jason I want, it's you." I said seductively in his ear. He smirked and bit his lip.

"You better stop or I'm gonna get hit." he told me starting the car.

"Jason won't hit you. I was just joking."

"I know you were joking and I know Jason wouldn't hit me. I was worried about you hitting me." he told me. I looked over at him confused.

"Why would I hit you?" I asked. He looked over at me and grinned. "Tell me. What were you gonna try to kiss me or something?" I asked again. Still silence and a grin. "You wouldn't do that. I'd hit you." I said. He looked over and me and I made an O shape with my mouth.

"Exactly." he said. I reached over and slapped his arm. We drove to the crime scene and got out. We walked over to the yellow tape and crawled under it. We looked over at the body and cringed.

"Ummm where's her head?" I asked looking over at the officer that had arrived first. He just shrugged and walked away. I looked at Don who was tilting his head to the side.

"Looks like out killer gotta head start." he said. I gapped at him and smacked him again.

"Donald! That was wrong." I told him trying not to laugh. He smiled over at me and that was it. I laughed a little and shook my head. "Show some respect." I told him. He laughed and walked over to the boy who found the body. A few minutes later Mac and Danny showed up.

"Sara! What do we have?" Danny called out to me.

"Don't know. Ask Mr. Insensitive over there." I said pointing to Don. He glared at me and walked over.

"Are you being insensitive, Flack?" Danny asked smirking at me. Mac shook his head and kneeled down to the body.

"I only said our killer had a head start. Then she got a riled up." He defended himself. Mac and Danny laughed and started to process.

"So what have you got, Don?" Mac asked.

"Well, the head his MIA. Boy over there, Randy Wise, found the body around two hours ago. Called 911 and Officer Mitch responded. No ID, no back pack, nothing. I got the boy's statement and number. But so far this looks like a Jane Doe." he told them. Mac nodded and started bagging things as Danny snapped a few pictures.

About an hour later we headed back to the lab. I walked into the trace lab where Stella was and sat on the stool next to her.

"Hey. Heard you had a headless body?" she asked.

"Yeah. Rather disturbing." I told her. She laughed and stepped away from the microscope.

"Anything to go on?" she asked slipping off her gloves.

"Nope. No ID. Nothing. And Don was making wise cracks the whole time." I told her as we walked out.

"Oh lord. I can only imagine what he said." she laughed.

"Oh, get ready. He told me the killer had a head start." She laughed and shook her head.

"Well, it is funny. But he has a bad sense of timing when it comes to joking." she told me. I nodded and walked into Mac's office.

"Anything yet?" I asked.

"Not yet. Adam is running DNA and Danny is going though trace. Was Alexander Johns alibi ever checked for the W. 34th case?" he asked opening another case file.

"Yeah. He was at this diner in Queens. Cook said he was there for about two hours." I told him.

"Two hours?" he asked rasing an eyebrow.

"They were busy. Said the waitress messed his order up twice." I explained. His phone rang and he looked up at me.

"Adam's got something." We stood up and walked out. "So how are you feeling?"

"Stella's been talking, huh?" I laughed.

"Stella's always talking." he teased.

"I'm fine. I told her if it got any worse that I would go get checked out." I told him. He nodded and we walked into the room where Adam was.

"Adam, whatcha got?" I asked throwing an arm around him. He smiled and handed me and Mac a sheet of paper.

"DNA from the vic says it's Rachel Kennedy. Spent three years in prison for molesting her students." Mac read out loud.

"Damn. When did she get out?" Danny asked walking in. I looked at my paper.

"Two days ago. TOD was late last night. Someone was waiting for her." I said. Mac nodded his head and looked out the door past me. I turned around and noticed Jason captain and the chief walking toward us in dress blues. We walked out the room and Mac spoke up.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Mac asked. Him and the chief never got along. Everything was fine and dandy as long as chief stayed out of the lab.

"My business is not with you, Taylor. It's with Detective Sara Callahan." he said turning toward me. I looked past him and saw Don running over to me with a white face.

"What about?" I asked shakily. I watched as they took their hats off and bowed their heads.

"Mrs. Callahan, I'm sorry to have to inform you but your husband, Detective Jason Callahan, was killed today. I'm very sorry for your loss." the chief said. I looked over to Jason's captain and he had tears in his eyes. I felt my body shake and I didn't even notice when the shrill scream escaped my mouth. I felt my legs give out and started to fall. Only the floor didn't catch me. Don did. He held me close and sat on the floor with me.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I tried to get here before they did. I swear I tried." he said holding my face to his chest as I sobbed. I felt Mac and Adam kneel next to me and rub my back.

"Get out of my lab." I heard Mac say to the two men that had given me the news. I heard high heels click the floor and felt Stella wrap her arms around me and Don. I felt her tears on me neck as she hugged me.

"It's gonna be okay. I'm here. Don's here, we're all here. You'll be okay. I promise." she told me. I continued to grip on to Don's shirt and buried my face in his chest further. I heard my captain walk over and pat my back.

"Don, take her to your place. I'll get you're cases taken care of if I have to do it myself. Make sure she's ok." he told Don.

"Can you walk?" Don asked me softly. I nodded and slowly stood up. I had Don on one side and Stella on the other as I made my way down the hallway to the elevators. We walked out the elevator and to the door. I saw all the looks people gave me. Looks os sadness, pity and pain. That made it worse. When the fresh air hit me I cried all over again. My legs gave out again and Don picked me up and carried me to the car. Stella buckled me up and kissed my head. She told Don something but I wasn't sure what. I looked out the window as Don drove to his apartment.

He was gone. Jason was dead. My husband...My heart...

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_Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Good or bad, I can take it. Just let me know. Thanks for reading. FYI Sara is 28. Jason was 31. Don is 30._


	2. Hallelujah

_Thanks for all of you who added this story to your alerts. Thanks for reading and all that! Reviews are more than welcome. I'd love to hear whether you like it or not. I hope you enjoy this one and the rest in the future! :)_

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It was like a dream. A really cruel dream. I guess it would be a nightmare then. It felt surreal. Like I was floating overhead and watching myself and the people around me. I saw the looks they gave me. The pity, the sadness and the occasional glare from his mother. She never liked me. She wanted him to have a housewife and trophy wife. He told her time and time again that he didn't want that. He wanted a wife that could defend herself if something should ever happen to him. He thought that was me. But it wasn't. It felt like I couldn't even move much less defend myself against the world, his family, or anything else. It was horrifying. All the black. Black pants, black hats, clack dresses and black shoes. His mother had the black veil hat on. Jason wouldn't have wanted this but his mother took over. She said I wasn't up to doing the funeral. She was bad at being nice. She wanted the attention. It's like she wanted everyone to look at her and feel bad instead of his now widowed wife. Widow. I'm 28. I'm not supposed to be a widow. It's just not natural. I looked around the dreary cemetery and looked for some kind of relief. I found it.

"Donnie." I called softly. The tall blue eyed detective turned around and smiled at me.

"Hey, Bear." he whispered softly. He had called me Sara-Bear since forever. Now it was just Bear. It was comforting. He was the only that called me that. Not even Jason would call me that. He knew it was a thing between me and Don. He wasn't about to impose on that.

"Thanks for coming." I told him.

"You don't have to use casualties on me, Sara. I'm not one of your regular guest." he told me. I nodded and wrapped me arms around him and cried. He set his chin on my head and rubbed my back. I felt another hand on my back and turned around to see Mac and the rest of the team.

"Hey, guys. Thanks for coming." I told them smiling. Mac reached out and hugged me.

"It's not a problem. You know that." he told me pulling back.

Mac had always been a father figure to me. Mine had passed when I was first born. Never knew I needed one until I met Mac. I was always content with having my mom. But it was nice to have a father figure around. He even walked me down the aisle at mine and Jason's wedding. I smiled and looked at Danny. He glanced up at me and pulled me into a bone shattering hug.

"I love you, you know that right? I love you to death, Sara." he whispered and I cried into his shoulder.

Besides Don, Danny was my closest male friend. They called us the three musketeers. We were always together. Going to the bar, going to games. Danny was like the annoying brother I was so unfortunately not to be blessed with. I remember when Jason was thinking about proposing. He asked Don and Danny for permission before my mom. They said no of course but changed their minds when he gave them the 'I love her' speech. I pulled away and smiled at him. I turned to see Stella crying. I laughed a little and hugged her.

"It's ok, Stella." I joked with her. She laughed and pinched me side.

"I'm supposed to be saying that." she told me.

"Well don't. I'm tired of hearing it. And 'If you need anything, just call.' or 'He was a good man.' I know these things." I told them. They nodded and looked at me sadly. "Come on guys. Don't look at me like that. You all know Jason would have hated for his funeral to be like this."

"Yeah. Maybe we should tie her up in the asylum. Let the ghouls get her." Don joked. I laughed and they all smiled.

"Leave it to Flack to crack a joke at a funeral." Danny said. I saw Jason's mother come up behind Don and glare at us all.

"The funeral is about to start." she said and walked back. I sighed and looked around.

"Thanks for coming. It really does mean a lot." I told them.

"No problem. Sorry I couldn't let Hawkes, Lindsey and Adam off but they will be joining us tonight. Sid said he'd be there too." Mac told me. I nodded and we walked off. The team went over to my side and stood up. Don was about to walk over but I grabbed his hand.

"I need you." I whispered. He nodded and guided me to my seat and sat next to me. I saw the glare Jason's mother gave me but ignored it. The preacher walked up and stood behind the podium.

"Today we are gathered to bid farewell to Detective Jason Callahan. I've known Jason and his family for years and he was a good man. He loved life, he loved his job, he loved his family and above all he loved his wife."

I felt Don's grasp mine as the tears fell. It was all happening. It wasn't a dream anymore. These were the last words. The last few moments before Jason was gone forever. I saw his face flash in my mind and closed my eyes. I saw the first time I had met him at the precinct. He spilled coffee all over me. He still apologized to me and I still kept my distance when he had a cup. I saw our first kiss and the way it made my heart flutter. I saw the look in his eyes when I walked down the aisle. The way his voice shook as he said 'I do' and the way he smiled when the same preacher introduced us as 'Mr. and Mrs. Jason Callahan.' I opened my eyes and now I saw the glossy silver casket. This was not a memory I wanted to see. Ever. The preacher was almost done when I came back to reality.

"Jason Callahan was a son, a brother, an uncle, a working man and a husband. He will be missed for a very long time. May God bless his soul on his trip and we will see you again my son." He stepped down and the soft music filled my ears.

_Well I heard there was a secret chord  
that David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do ya?  
Well it goes like this :  
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah..._

I watched as they removed the flag from the casket and folded it. I felt my heart fall even more as they walked over to me which earned a glare from my mother in law. They placed the flag in my hands and walked off. I looked down at it and saw my tears fall on top. I looked at Don and saw his eyes misted. He reached out and grabbed my hand and rubbed my thumb.

_  
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya  
And she tied you to her kitchen chair  
She broke your throne and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah..._

I looked back to the scene in front of me. They started to slowly lower the casket into the ground. I heard sniffles and small sobs all around me. My tears had stopped as I watched the top of the casket disappear under the grass.

_(Yeah but) Baby I've been here before  
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor, (You know)  
I used to live alone before I knew ya  
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
and love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah..._

I heard people get up and start to leave. I felt pats on my shoulders and kisses on my head as they left. Jason's family left without a word. I was nothing to them anymore. There was nothing more to say. That was okay with me. I didn't want the stares and drama. I stayed seated and stared at the hole.

_Well there was a time when you let me know  
What's really going on below  
But now you never show that to me do ya  
But remember when I moved in you  
And the holy dove was moving too  
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah..._

_I felt the seats_ around me being filled again as Mac, Danny and Stella pooled around me. I felt tears fall again as Don pulled me into his arms and held me. I started to shake and sob and he held me tighter. I heard Danny sniffle and look at the ground. I knew it killed him to see me like this. Mac and Stella rubbed my back and tried to calm me down. And Don, he just held me. Like he always did. He knew when I wanted to talk and when I didn't. He never pushed it.

_  
Maybe there's a God above  
But all I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya  
And it's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah..._

My sobs finally stopped and I pulled back to look at Don. He looked at me and kissed my forehead.

"Don, I don't what to do." I whispered.

"I know. If you did, I'd be scared." he laughed a little. It was contagious. I laughed into his chest. I pulled back and looked at him. I looked into those deep blue eyes and smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered. He grabbed my face and held it in place.

"You never have to thank me. I will always be here, no matter what. It's not something I have to do. It's something that I want and choose to do. I love you, Bear. I always will." he told me. He wiped my tears away and smiled at me.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Don." I told him. He smiled again and kissed my nose.

"You'd be really bored." he joked. We all laughed and stood up. Stella hugged me first and the boys joined a second later. Stella and I squealed a they squeezed their arms around us. I laughed as someone's hand grazed my butt.

"I'm a grieving widow, Danny. Stop molesting me." I joked. We pulled apart and Danny gaped at me.

"It wasn't me." he defended. I saw Don stuff his hands in his pockets and look around smiling.

"Don!" We all yelled. He smiled and wrapped me in his arms.

"It was an accident, you know that." he told me. I laughed and walked with them to the cars.

"Well, we'll be at the Sully's around 7pm. You're still coming right?" Mac asked.

"Yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world." I told him. He smiled and walked off with Stella. I turned to Don and Danny.

"I'm going to get going. I was supposed to help Lindsey with some trace. I'll you tow later." Danny said. He hugged me and kissed my cheek before walking off. I looked at Don and sighed.

"You wanna take me home?" I asked. He shook his head.

"You can stay with me you know? Get some clothes and crash in my spare bedroom." he told me. He had been adamant on me staying with him but I didn't want to. Sooner or later I would have to get used to living on my own and I figured sooner would be better.

"I'll be fine Don. Just take me home. I want a shower before we meet up later. You can stay a while if you want?" I offered. He smiled and opened the passenger door. I climbed in and he shut it. We drove to my house and he parked the car. I looked up at it and sighed.

"It's not going to be the same, is it?" I asked.

"No. But it'll get better. And you'll get used to it." he told me. We got out and walked into the house. I hadn't been there much because of the funeral and IAB walking around asking questions. I set my keys and purse down and walked into the living room. I saw his running bag in the floor. I sighed and picked it up.

"I told him a million times not to leave it there. But no, he doesn't listen." I said out loud. Don chuckled and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to jump in the shower. Make yourself at home. Don't eat all my food, please." I called to him as I walked up the stairs.

"Ok I will! Thanks!" he yelled back. I heard the microwave close and rolled my eyes. I walked into my bedroom and looked around. Everything was the same as it had been the morning he left. His clothes were on the end of the bed and his bottle of water on the dresser. I walked over and picked his clothes up. I held his night shirt up to my face and breathed in. I cried as I laid on his side of the bed. I held his shirt to my face as I cried. His scent was everywhere. He was everywhere. Everywhere I looked I saw him or something that reminded me of him. And that reminded me that he was gone. That I would never see his face again beside in a frame. That I will never feel his kiss or touch unless it was a dream. That soon his scent would fade and I wouldn't be able to remember his voice or laugh. I sobbed into the shirt.

I felt two strong arms engulf me. I gripped Don's shirt and sobbed. He leaned back on the bed and held me to his chest. After a while my sobs softened and I got lost in the sound of his heartbeat. It was steady and soothing. It was constant and that was something I did not have anymore. I positioned my ear over it better and closed my eyes. He rubbed my back and kissed my head.

"I can't stay here Don." I told him.

"I know. Just go to sleep. We'll go out another night. I'll pack your things and wake you up later." he told me. I nodded and gripped his shirt when he tried to leave.

"Stay." I whispered. He sat back down and played with my hair until I was almost asleep. I felt him slide out from underneath me and start to pack my things. I curled into the bed one last time and fell asleep.

This was the first day of the rest of my life. I knew it would be different but I just hoped that it would be less traumatic. Maybe this time I will get blessed and not cursed. If I only knew how blessed I would be...

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**_Song: Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley_**


	3. I Failed

_Okay so I changed a tab bit of the story. Right now is taking place two years ago...I hope that makes sense. And Don is the same age as Sara, 28. It will slowly lead up to 2008/right now. Thanks for all the people adding this to their story alerts. I appreciate it! Thanks to those of you who reviewed. I'm glad you like it so far. And BTW on my bio page there is a link to a picture. It's how I see Sara, if any of you are interested. I'm more a visual kinda person. Thanks again and I hope you like it!!_

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I woke up to someone shaking me. I opened my eyes and stared into those beautiful blue eyes. They were the kind that made you feel like you were floating. I smiled at Don and sat up in my bed.

"Nice to see that smile." he said and sat next to me. I leaned against him and closed me eyes.

"It's nice to be able to do it." I told him. It had been nearly week since the funeral and I was still staying with Don. I wasn't back at work yet but I helped when I could. I was feeling better but still a little weary.

"So you have the appointment at 11?" Don asked and pulled me out of bed. I yawned and stood up in front of him. I stretched my arms up and let them fall on his shoulders when they came down. He hugged me back.

"Yeah. Mac said it was time to get my physical updated so I figured I'd do it while I was off." I told him and walked to bathroom. Don followed me and leaned on the doorframe as I brushed my teeth.

"You still feeling sick?" he asked. I glared at him.

"Not really." I told him after I spit my toothpaste out. He looked at me and nodded. "What?"

"Stella thinks you should talk to him while you're there." he told me. I put my brush down and leaned on the counter with my arms crossed. I glared at him and he sent one that matched.

"I'm fine, Don. I haven't been sick. I haven't missed my period. I'm not getting fat." I said. He raised a brow at me. I frowned and looked in the mirror. I lifted my shirt up and bit my lip. "I'm bloated. I'm about to start." I told him and pulled my shirt back down. He sighed and walked away.

"You hungry?" he asked as I walked after him. I stopped and glared at his retreating figure.

"Is that a trick question?" I asked. He turned around and grinned at me.

"No, it's an actual question. You hungry?" he asked again. I sighed and walked past him.

"Yes."

"Good me too. Fix something." he smirked and sat at the table. I glared at him and threw a pot holder at him.

"It was a trick question." I yelled playfully.

"But not the kind you were expecting." he laughed. I turned around and opened the fridge. I grabbed a few eggs and cheese. I grabbed a bowl and broke the eggs in. I swirled the eggs around with a fork and found my self getting sick. I felt my stomach contents rise and I dropped the bowl and ran. I made it to the toilet just in time and let it all out. I felt Don grab my hair and hold it back while the other hand rubbed my lower back. I sighed when I was done and leaned against Don. He grabbed a rag and wet it under the tub faucet. He wiped my face gently and kissed the top of my head.

"Don..." I whispered.

"Yeah, babe?" he asked rubbing my head.

"I'm pregnant." I cried softly. He pulled me close and kissed my cheek.

"I know." he whispered. I cried into his arms in the middle of our bathroom. He played with my hair and rubbed my back.

"I'm going early to the doctor's. Don't tell anyone until it's confirmed." I told him. He helped me off the floor and smiled at me.

"I won't. Just stop by when you leave. I'll by you lunch." he offered. I nodded and wiped away a few tears. I tried to deny it but each day I felt worse. It was this feeling in the pit of my stomach that yelled at me. I knew I couldn't ignore it for long but I could try.

"Yeah. That'll be great." He smiled and walked out. I walked into my room and looked at the clock. It was 9:50. I walked to my closet and pulled out a pair of black pants and a purple top. I tied my hair back into a pony tail and grabbed a pair of slip ons. I grabbed my purse and keys on the way out. Don was on his cell when I walked out. He hung up and looked at me.

"Let me drop you off. Take a cab to the station and I'll drop you off here when we're done with lunch." he told me. I set my keys down and we walked out the door. We were pretty much silent on the way there. He made some offhanded comment about traffic and I told him it was New York. We got to the white building and he parked out front. He grabbed my hand and kissed it.

"You'll be fine. I'll see you at the station, ok?" he asked. I nodded and unlocked my door. I leaned over and kissed his cheek before I got out.

"Thank you." I whispered as I pulled back. He smiled and I got out. He pulled off when I walked in. I walked over to the reception area and signed in. The lady smiled at me and told me to have a seat. I sat in a chair to the far back and flipped through a magazine when and old lady sat next to me. I smiled at her when she kept staring at me.

"How far along are you?" she asked sweetly. She even had the old lady shaky voice with the shaky hands. But she still had that sparkle in her eyes that told you she was very much alive and thriving.

"Ummm I'm not sure what you mean." I told her. She pointed to my stomach and I blushed.

"You have the glow. You'll be beautiful. Maybe I can see you when you get further along." she said and walked away. I was stunned to silence. I heard the door open and a doctor waved me over. I walked over and he ushered me to my room.

"So you're here for your physical?" he asked.

"I know I'm going to fail." I blurted out. He looked shocked.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"I think...I think I'm pregnant." I stuttered out. He smiled.

"That would cause you to fail. Would you like a test to prove it?" he asked. I nodded. He walked to the sink and handed me a cup.

"You know what to do." he told me. I walked to the bathroom and closed the door. I sighed and pulled down my pants and did my business. I walked back into the room and he had a stick in his hands.

"Set it down. It's just a regular test but if it's positive I can test it further to see how far alone you are." he told me as I set the cup down. He slipped the stick in and as soon as it touched and laughed. "That was quick. You are most certainly pregnant." he told me. I sighed and sat down before I fell. "Congratulations, tell the daddy too."

"He's dead." I said softly. He looked at me.

"What?" he asked.

"My husband. He died a week ago. Can I go now?" I asked quickly. He looked at me sadly and nodded. I nearly ran out the building and waved down a cab. I wanted to cry so bad but I couldn't. My eyes were filled to the rim but they would not fall. The cab stopped in front of the precinct and I jumped out. I ran up the steps and poked my head into homicide. One man looked at me and pointed up. He was in the lab. I ran to the elevator before it closed and pressed the 34 button.

The elevator clinked and the doors opened. I saw Danny and Stella walking toward the space I had just left. They saw me and panicked.

"What's wrong?" they simultaneously asked as I brushed past them looking around. They kept talking and followed me until I stopped. I covered my face when I saw him. He was talking to Mac. He heard Danny and Stella yelling for me and looked up. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around me. They fell freely now. I broke down once again in his strong arms. He held me up so I wouldn't fall. He ushered me into Mac's office and the three other on-lookers followed. He set me on the couch and kneeled in front of me as Mac, Danny and Stella looked on from the other side of the room.

"Talk to me, Bear." he said softly wiping away tears. I looked up at him and glanced at the rest of the room.

"I'm pregnant." I cried. Don pulled me into a hug as Stella gasped. Danny took off his glasses and rubbed his face and Mac looked at the ground. I pulled back and looked at Don. "Donnie, what am I going to do? It's not supposed to be this way. I'm supposed to be happy. Jason is supposed to be here. He's supposed to hold my hand when the time comes. I can't do this alone." I cried. He held my face and made me look at him.

"You're not doing this alone. You can be happy and I'll be there to hold your hand when the time comes. And Jason is supposed to be here but he's not. But instead of him you have me, Mac, Danny, Stella, Hawkes...should I keep going?" he told me. Stella, Mac and Danny walked over and sat next to me.

"I'm just scared." I said softly. Stella rubbed my back.

"It's okay to be scared. Babies are scary." she told me.

"Loud and stinky too." Danny joked. I laughed as Stella smacked him. I wiped my tears away.

"That's why your on diaper duty, Dan." I told him. Everyone laughed except him. He shook his head.

"See, I did feel sorry for you but now, not so much." he told me. He picked me hands up and kissed them. "I'll do whatever you need me to do." he told me seriously.

"Even if it means changing diapers?" I asked. He sighed and nodded.

"Even if it means changing a diaper or two. But no more!" he joked. I leaned down to hug him.

"Thank you, Danny." I whispered. He let me go and I sat back. "Thank you all."

"Do you know how far along you are?" Mac asked.

"Not yet. He's going to run another test and call me tomorrow." I told him. He nodded and walked over to grab his ringing phone. He talked for a minute and hung up.

"Stella, trace needs you. I'll talk to you later, ok Sara? We'll have dinner." he told me and left with Stella. She popped her head back in and grinned.

"I told you so." she laughed. I threw a pen at her and she ducked back out. I looked back at Don and Danny and stood up.

"You still gonna feed me?" I asked Don hopefully. Danny laughed and Don smiled.

"Yeah, being that you have to eat for two." he told me.

"Don't be getting me too fat. Let it come naturally. I want to be able to fit in my clothes when this is all over with." I laughed. Danny's phone beeped and he looked up.

"Duty calls, and it's not diaper. I'll see you two later." he said and walked out. I looked at Don and grabbed his hand.

"Lunch, now." I demanded.

"Alright, I guess I can manage."

We walked downstairs and to his car. He drove a few blocks and stopped in front of the café me and Stella go to. I got out and he drove off to park. I walked in to find a table and waited for him.

"Is your lady friends joining you?" the waitress asked. I laughed.

"Not today. Just get me a water and a coffee, please." she smiled and walked off. Don walked in and sat down.

"Sometimes I hate New York. Did you order?" he asked.

"I got you a coffee."

"You didn't get it right? I heard coffee is bad when you're pregnant." I laughed at him.

"It is. I got water." I told him. We were silent until our drinks arrived. "I'll be moving back home." I told him softly. He looked up and shook his head.

"No." he said sternly.

"Excuse me?" I asked surprised.

"I said, no. You're not moving back home." he told me again.

"Don, I'm pregnant. It's bad enough I'm living off you as it is."

"I don't care. I don't want you by yourself. If you don't wanna stay with me, stay with Stella or your mother." he told me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to impose in Stella and I's sure as hell not going back to my mother's house." I told him.

"Well, then you got me."

"You have a two bedroom apartment. Where will the baby sleep?" I asked getting a little aggravated.

"The baby does not need it's own room for the first few months. Knowing you you'll leave it next to your bed. And we've got at least 7 months until it arrives so we've got time to find a new place or whatever." he told me.

"Don, I'm not going to let you do that. Not for me." I told him. "This, I am not your responsibility."

"Yes you are. And that baby comes with you so you both are."

"I don't wanna be a imposition." I told him.

"You're not. You're my best friend. I wanna do this. You said yourself that you can't do it alone. Let me help. I've always been there for you so why stop now when you really need me?" He had a good point. I did need him. I could do it alone, lots of people have. I just didn't want to. I wanted someone there to hold my hand and next to Jason, Don's the one I want there.

"Ok." I agreed softly. He looked up at me and grinned.

"Really?" he asked. I smiled.

"Yeah. But if it gets too much. Tell me. The baby will cry, I will be mean, you might have to help Danny with diapers." I told him. I nodded and sipped the rest of his coffee.

"I deal with murders and dead, bloody bodies all day. I think I can deal with a little monster that cries, eats and sleeps. And if it gets on my nerves I can always sell it, right?" he joked. I glared at him and stood up.

"That's not funny. I hope it pee's on you." I told him. He grimaced and followed me out the door.

"As long as it's not on my tie." he said.

"Why? It'd make an improvement." I laughed. This time he glared at me.

"That's not funny." he told me. I smiled and walked with him around the block to the car. He stopped in front of his apartment and grabbed my hand. "This will be ok. Everything will be ok." he told me. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I know. I believe you." I got out and walked inside. I glanced back at him as I opened the door._ 'What would I do without you?'_ I thought and waved as he left.


	4. It's Better Than Another You

_Thanks for those of you who added this to your alerts. I appreciate it! And thanks to those who reviewed. I hope you all like it so far. Reviews are more than welcome...good or bad. I'll take it like a champ...lol. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!!_

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"Hurry, get up!" I yelled through Don's bedroom door. I was already 15 minutes late for my appointment. Luckily, the person after me canceled so I can get the 12:30 slot. It had been almost a week since I had found out that I was pregnant and today was my first ultrasound. The doctor at the clinic told me I was most likely around 2 months but scheduled me an ultrasound to give a better estimate.

"I'm coming. I'm here." he said groggily opening his door. He had offered to go with me but we both overslept. He had been pulling a few extra shifts because of my condition.

"Alright, let's go. We'll stop and get coffee on the way." I pushed him past the kitchen and out the door. He groaned and walked to the car.

"I need coffee, now." he mumbled and pulled into the local diner's parking lot. He got out and walked in to get him a coffee and me a water. They had cut me off but I was dealing, for now.

"Hurry. I don't wanna be late." I rushed him as he pulled out.

"I'm gonna kill you. I swear I am." he grumbled. I smiled and drank my water. Surprisingly enough we made it on time and only waited about 5 minutes.

"Made it I see?" the nurse smiled.

"Barely." I told her and pinched Don. He rubbed his side and walked into the room after me.

"Lay here. This your first child?" she asked.

"Yes. Kinda scared." I told her. She smiled and looked at Don.

"You excited to be a daddy?" she asked. Don's eye popped and shook his head.

"I'm not the daddy. We're not together." he stuttered.

"It's a long story. He's my partner." I told her.

"Cops." he clarified. She smiled and lifted my shirt a little. I laughed as Don turned away.

"Don't worry. I only need to see the belly." she smiled. He turned back around cautiously and scooted over to my side. I smiled at him and he took my hand in his.

"Alright, this will be a tad bit cold." she said and squeezed a nice sized amount of clear gel on my tummy. I squealed and Don laughed. We looked at the screen as she moved the handle over my belly. She moved around for a minute and pushed a few buttons then looked at us.

"Alright. It does look like you are nearly three months. Pretty small but you're not going to get too big. Not with as tiny as you are." she said. She pointed out the legs and arms as me and Don smiled big cheesy grins. She turned the sound on and we heard the heart beat. I squeezed Don's hands when the tears fell. The nurse left us alone while she made me another appointment.

"I miss him." I whispered to Don. He laid his forehead on mine and closed his eyes.

"I know. But look at the screen." he said pointing to the baby on the screen. "That's apart of him. And it's right here." he placed a hand on my stomach. "No need to miss him."

"Thank you for coming." I smiled. He kissed my forehead.

"No problem." he told me. The nurse came back in and told me to come back in two weeks. We thanked her and took our pictures and left. We knew we had to go to the lab and precinct when we left. Stella and Lindsey were having a cow waiting. We pulled up and parked outside.

"Ready to be trampled?" I asked. He smiled and ushered me inside. We made our way up to the lab and walked out. It's like Stella had a live video feed of the elevator and was hugging me the instant I stepped out.

"Stella, she's pregnant. You're hurting her." Don told her and pried her off me.

"I want pictures. How far along are you? Two months, I can't wait 7 more months." she whined. I smiled and took out the pictures.

"Actually, I'm almost three. I have a due date of November 14." I told her and handed her a few pictures. She smiled widely as she slipped through them. I set my purse down and pulled out a chair from Mac's desk.

"Awww it's so cute." she cooed.

"It's creepy looking." Don piped up. She glared at him.

"It's a baby in the warm and safe confines of it's mother's womb. It's a special thing Don." he told her. He rolled his eyes and waved to Danny and Mac through the window. Mac smiled as Stella jumped at him with pictures.

"Looky! Three months. Can you believe it? She doesn't even look it." she squealed. Danny patted my back and took a few pictures from my purse. He looked at them and back at me.

"So I'll be changing his diapers?" he asked. Stella snapped her head up.

"Don't start that boy or girl crap, Danny." she warned him. I bit my lip while Don and Mac leaned back to witness the fight that was about to go down.

"Ah come on, Stel. It's bound to happen. I think it's a boy." he told her.

"That's because you're a guy." she told him and crossed her arms.

"Well, you think it's a girl because you're a woman." he retorted. I held back my laugh.

"So?! I think that Sara has stronger genes that Jason." she stated matter-of-factly. Danny snorted and roller his eyes.

"It's a boy. Guys, whatcha think?" he asked the rest of the room.

"I'd say a boy. Sorry Stella." Mac said holding his hands up when Stella huffed. Don laughed.

"I think it's a girl only because I'd hate to have another Jason running around." he told us. We all laughed and Stella patted his cheek.

"It's better than another you running around." she said and walked out. I couldn't hold my laughter anymore and burst into hysterics with Danny and Mac. Don glared at us and crossed his arms.

"I think the world would be blessed to have another me." he declared. I stood up and walked over to him.

"If we had another you, women would be forced to live in convents." I told him and walked out. I saw his jaw drop and Danny fall to the ground as I walked away to find Hawkes and Sid. I walked down to the morgue and pushed open the doors. I poked my head around the corner and saw the two men poking at a body.

"I don't think it's alive, guys." I laughed. They turned and smiled at me.

"Hello, Sara. How are you today?" Sid asked.

"I'm good. How you are you two today?" I asked walking next to Hawkes and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Well, we've been waiting for you. You come bearing gifts, right?" Sheldon asked. I smiled and handed them a few pictures.

"Oh my, Sara. This is quite impressive. I'd say three months?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah. Further than I thought." I told him. Sid looked over at my still flat tummy.

"Is it healthy? You're not very big." he asked worried.

"She said I wouldn't be because of my size. Said it'd be healthy but small." I told them. They nodded and smiled looking at the pictures. "You can keep them. I got extra copies." I told them. They smiled and put the pictures in the their pockets.

"Congratulations." Sid said hugging me.

"Thanks." I told them. We chatted for a few until my phone went off. "Ahh it's Don. I'll see you two later. And stop poking dead bodies!" I called out as I was leaving. I walked back up to the lab and saw Don.

"I gotta call. I'm riding with Mac and I'll get Danny to drop me off later. The extra set of keys are in my desk when you get ready to go home." he told me.

"Ok. I'll see you later or tomorrow. Be careful." I told him. He winked and walked off. I smiled and turned to see Lindsay smiling at me. I handed her a picture and she smiled. She was still fairly new but she was nice. I had taken to her instantly. She was the sweet small town girl.

"Aww I'm excited. You're going to look so cute with a belly." she told me.

"I hope so. It was so weird hearing the heartbeat earlier." I confessed as we walked to the break room. She opened the fridge and handed me a water.

"Thanks. I saw it move and all. It was nice."

"I heard Don went with you?" she asked. I laughed.

"Yeah. He did good. He turned away when she lifted my shirt up but she assured him she only needed my belly." I laughed.

"I can see that. He's a good guy. I wish I had a friend like that, male or female." she told me. I smiled softly.

"He's great. If it weren't for him I think I'd be drowning in my tears still. He tells me everyday that I don't need to miss Jason, because I have him inside me." I told her placing a hand on my stomach.

"He's wise. You's never guess, but he is." she laughed. I nodded and closed my eyes.

"Everyone was fighting about what it'll be." I told her.

"Let me guess Danny and Stella?" she asked.

"Exactly. Stella said a girl, Danny and Mac said a boy."

"What about Don?" she asked.

"Don said a girl because he's hate to have another Jason around." I laughed. She shook her head and smiled.

"Better than another him." she quipped. I burst out laughing.

"That's what Stella said. So true though. One Don is enough." I laughed.

"Well, if it was more of the him that he is around you, then it wouldn't be bad." she told me.

"He's a good man. A real good man. He was raised right. I'm thankful for that." I told her. She smiled and reached out for my hand.

"It might not see like it but you really are blessed." she told me softly. I looked at her and smiled. I wiped a few tears away and nodded.

"I know. I just wish he was here too." I whispered. She got up and hugged me as I cried softly. "I'm so happy that Don's here but..."

"He's not Jason." she finished for me. I pulled back and looked at her.

"It's not fair. It's his baby, our baby and they'll never get to meet." I whispered softly. She rubbed my back and I laid my head on her shoulder.

"I know. Trust me, I know first hand life's not fair." she told me. I nodded and sighed into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for crying one you." I laughed lightly.

"It's ok. It's always here if you need it." she told me. I smiled and hugged her. Her pager went off and she smiled at me. "Duty calls. If you need me you know where I am." She said and walked out. I sat there for a minute and fiddled with my wedding ring. I circled it around my fingers and sighed.

"I miss you." I whispered and stood up. I pushed through the door and walked to the Mac's office. I poked my head in and saw he as gone. I walked over to his desk and sat down. I sighed and picked up his phone.

"Hello?" my mom answered.

"Hey mama." I said sweetly. Hearing her voice made my tear find me again.

"Sara! Oh darling, are you okay?" she asked.

"Kinda."

"Sara-Beth, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Mama, I'm pregnant." I cried into the phone.

"Oh Sara. Honey, how far along?" she gasped.

"Three months. I had an ultrasound today. We heard the heartbeat." I laughed a little.

"We?" she asked.

"Don went with me. I'm staying with him." I told her. She was smitten with Don.

"God, blessed you with that boy for a reason. Jane raised him right." she stated.

"He's been a godsend. Everyone has. They've been so supportive and they let me cry all over them." I laughed. She chuckled and sighed.

"Are you happy though?" she asked.

"Considering the fact that my husband's dead, I'm pregnant and I'm living with my partner, I'm pretty good. I miss him but I'm not drowning in it. Everyone keeps me busy. And I don't wanna stress too much with the baby." I told her.

"Good. So I'm going to be a grandma?" she asked.

"Yep. Around the middle of November. I'll send you the pictures." We talked for a few more minutes and hung up. I stood up and walked out of Mac's office. I made my way down to Homicide and walked to mine and Don's conjoined desks. I sat down and reached for the drawer.

"You're a bad Flack impersonator." I heard Danny say from behind. I turned to look at him and grinned.

"Yeah, I'm not that pretty." I joked. He laughed and sat in my chair.

"No, you're prettier. How are you?" he asked. I smiled at him and nodded.

"Pretty good considering. Talked to my mom earlier. She's excited." I told him.

"Good. We are too. But I don't know how to change a diaper." he said seriously.

"I'll teach you." I said sweetly. He smiled and picked up a photo on my desk. He showed it to me and I saw me and Jason.

"Our trip to Tampa. About a year after we started dating. I got to swim with dolphins." I smiled.

"Must have been fun." he said. "You sleeping okay?" he asked. I looked at him funny. I hadn't. I didn't know why but I wasn't. I'd sleep for a few hours and wake up ready to go. I didn't have nightmares or dreams but I was just not tired.

"Don's been spying on me?" I asked.

"He wants to make sure you're okay." he told me.

"I know. It's not nightmares. I'm just not tired. I wake up after a few hours sleep and I'm wound to go. I wish it happened before I got knocked up, I needed the energy then." I laughed. He smirked and leaned back.

"But you're good?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't worry and tell Don not too either." I told him. His phone went off and he frowned. "Duty calls?" I asked. He nodded and kissed my forehead.

"I love you alright. You're my baby girl. I'm here if ya need me." he told me.

"I know. Now get to work." I laughed. He walked off and I sighed. I opened the drawer and saw the keys on top. I was about to close the drawer when I saw a picture. I pulled the keys out and was about to close it when I saw something. I picked it up and it was a picture. I smiled and felt tears prick my eyes as I looked at it. It was the ultrasound picture. I looked on his desk and saw no other pictures. He wasn't that type of guy. I placed it back in the drawer and closed it.

"He is a godsend." I whispered to myself as I walked out the building and to Don's car.

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_And here's where you tell me what you though or even give me a few tips or suggestions :)! Thanks!_


	5. An Affair

_Ok so here it is. I hope you all like it. I'll have more time to write as I just finished another story. I want to thank everyone for reading. And big thanks to:_

_hope4sall_

_WinchesterWench_

_Mauviene_

_JaydenBell_

_Madison Bellows_

_...for reviewing. Hopefully I can keep you coming back. Thanks again! Enjoy!! :)_

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I was sifting through cases at my desk, the same place I had been for the past two weeks. I was nearly 15 weeks and wasn't that tiny anymore. My belly had sprouted overnight and I looked like I was almost four months along. This made Hawkes breath easier as he was worried that I wasn't eating enough. My pants were just starting to get tight and Stella had made a day for shopping later this week.

"Bored?" Don asked walking up to me. I smiled and set my papers down.

"Yes. I hate sitting here all day. They might as well let me go home." I told him. He laughed and sat on my desk.

"You'll be fine. You'll be back in no time." he told me.

"Yeah but even after I have the baby I'm going to be restricted." I told him.

"Why?"

"One I'll be out of work for a few weeks afterwards. Then I'll have to work short hours because no day care will take a newborn unless it's at least 6 weeks old." I sighed. I was finally realizing how hard it would be. I was a single mother and a detective. I worked the oddest hours and I was going to have a baby.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. I'll help ya out." he said standing up and walking behind me. I felt his hands start to massage my shoulders and I sighed. I heard him chuckle and pull up a chair to sit in. "You might not even need a day care." he told me.

"Don there is no way I can find a babysitter to watch my child when I work these funky hours." I told him.

"I could watch it while you're working." he offered.

"Don, we work together. I'm not losing my partner." I told him.

"My mom could do it." he told me. I looked back at him.

"Really?" I asked. He smiled and nodded.

"She was jumping for joy when I told her. You know she'd help you out." he told me. I thought about it for a minute and nodded.

"We should go by there sometime. I'll talk to her then." I told him. He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "So how's this Randy case?" I asked.

We had been steadily working on this case for nearly a week. His names was Mark Randy. He spent ten years in prison for the murder of a judge's wife. They were having an affair and she ended it. He got mad and threatened to expose her. She ended up dead three days later. Cops arrested him and charged him with the murder. For ten years he's said he didn't do it and blames her husband. He firmly believe that the judge killed her and set him up. Now he's out and threats have been on a high.

"Well, he's been quiet for a few days. Judge Casey has been sent to a secret location. But Mac's trying to find Randy." he told me. I nodded and flipped through the file.

"Has the lab found anything that suggests that Randy didn't kill her?" I asked.

"Nope. Not at all. Mac wants to talk to Randy and find out what happened but I don't think Randy will go for it. He's been in prison for ten years. I don't think he's afraid of anything else." he told me.

"He just wants to prove a point. Even if that means going back to jail." He nodded and looked at his watch.

"You hungry?" he asked. I looked at my desk.

"Yeah. I can take a quick break." I told him standing up. I grabbed my papers and set them in my desk. I saw Don smirk and point my belly. "Shut up." I warned him.

Between him and Danny I didn't get a break. They weren't mean but they never let me forget that it was there. Danny rubbed it all the time and Don poked it. It was horrible. They were like three years olds. And Danny being Danny had christened me with a nick name. Happy Feet. Yes, like the wobbly penguin. Only I wasn't wobbly yet but I was getting there.

"I think it's cute. It's nice to see you with a little weight on your bones. But I do have a feeling that Danny's name for you will be true in a few months." he laughed. I slapped his arm and we walked out. We walked across the street to the coffee shop and sat down. We started talking about the case when a man walked up to me.

"Mrs. Sara Callahan?" he asked. I looked at Don and nodded slowly.

"Yes. Can I help you?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm Ricky Vanderoot. I was your husband's lawyer." he said slowly. I looked at him as he pulled a chair out. "I wanted to see you first. I hate to do this as I now see that you are pregnant." he rubbed his chin. Don glared at him and I felt my heart speed up.

"What's going on Mr. Vanderoot?" I asked calmly. He handed me a file of papers and frowned.

"I'm afraid I have bad news but I'd like to help. Jason's mother has already filed a petition. But I know Jason wouldn't want that." he told me.

"What are you talking about?" Don growled. I opened the file and looked at the first page. I swear my heart stopped.

"Divorce papers?" I asked shocked. Don dropped his fork and Ricky nodded.

"Jason filed for divorce?" Don asked. I nodded as tears filled my eyes. "Why?" he asked. I looked through the papers and dropped them when I found what I was looking for. I covered my mouth and held back a sob as Don grabbed the papers. I saw his eyes blaze and his fists clench as he read what I just had.

"He was having an affair?" Don growled at Ricky. He slowly nodded.

"He filed just after it started. It was only a few days before he passed. He wanted to get all the paperwork done before he told you." he told us. I looked out the window as big tears rolled down my cheeks. This wasn't happening.

"What does his mother have to do with this?" Don asked for me.

"She found out and is trying to get the money and pension he was giving to Sara to switch to her. She said that he was leaving her so she didn't deserve it." he told us. I glared at him.

"She can't do that." Don told him.

"But she's trying. She wants the money, the pension, the house. The ring he gave you." Ricky explained. Don grabbed my hand and I kept looking away.

"Can you help?" Don asked him.

"Yes. I don't think a judge will take all that away knowing that he cheated and that she's pregnant." he told us. I looked at my wedding ring and frowned.

How could he do this? Why would he do this? Who was she? Where did they meet? Did he really love me? All these questions flew through my mind as I slowly slipped my ring off. I placed it on the file in front of Ricky.

"She can have it. I'll have my things out of the house by the end of the week." I told him standing up. Don stood up and stared at me.

"No we can get it. She has no right." he told me.

"I don't want it, Don." I whispered. "He couldn't give me his whole heart or his loyalty, why would I take his money?" I asked. Ricky stood up and gathered his things.

"If you change your mind, call me." he said and started to walk off. "He wanted me to give you this." he whispered and handed me a small envelope. He walked off and I shoved it in my purse. I went to walk away when Don grabbed me. I turned to look at him and broke down. I fell into his arms as they engulfed me. He pulled me into the quiet hallway and held me.

"Why?" I cried into his chest. I felt him tense and hold me tighter.

"I don't know." he said softly. I pulled away from him and slid down the wall to the floor. He sat next to me and stretched his long legs out.

"Did you know?" I asked him. He looked over at me and laughed.

"You're kidding me. I'd be the last person to find out. He knew I'd kill him. If he weren't dead, I'd be killing him now." he told me. I smiled a little. "Sorry, that was harsh." he apologized. I shook my head and placed my hands on my tummy.

"I don't understand, Don. I thought we were happy." I cried again. "It's like he didn't give us a chance."

"I'm sorry, Bear. I didn't see anything. He always talked about how much he loved you." he whispered. I nodded and wiped a few tears away.

"Why can't I be happy? Is that too much to ask for? Honestly, I lost him, I found out I was pregnant and now I find out he was cheating on me and about to leave me. Someone has it in for me." I laughed lightly. Don pulled me into his arms again and kissed my head. "I just wanna be happy."

"I know. I know, Bear." he whispered and stroked my hair.

"I don't want anything of his." I told him. He looked down at me and nodded.

"Ok. If that's what you want, ok." he told me.

"I don't want anything to remind me of him." I said. He frowned.

"Sara, you're pregnant with his child." he reminded me. I looked down and nodded.

"I know. That's enough. That's all I want." I said softly. He kissed my head and stood up. He helped me up and hugged me again.

"It'll be ok. I promise." he told me.

"I'm going to talk to his mother." I told him as we walked out. He stopped and looked at me.

"You sure?" he asked. I linked arms with him and walked across the street.

"Yeah. I wanna tell her that I'm pregnant and tell her she can have everything."

"You want me or Stella to go with you? I know she's a bitch." he offered.

"I'll go by myself. But I want you to take me to the Social Security Office. I need to get my named changed." I told him. He looked down at me.

"No more Sara Callahan?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Nope. Sara Roberts is back." I laughed. He smiled and pushed the doors open. We walked in and walked back to our desks. We chatted for a few until his pager went off. He kissed my head and left. I saw Cap in his office and walked over.

"Sara, how are you?" he asked as I walked in. His face got serious when I shut the door. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Do you still have my old badge?" I asked. He nodded. "I'm going to need it back."

"Changing your name?" he asked. I nodded. "I don't think that's the thing to do, Sara." he told me.

"He was having an affair." I blurted out. I felt tears fill my eyes but blinked them back. He looked at me shocked.

"I didn't see that coming." he mumbled.

"Yeah, me either. But he was. I'm changing my name back to keep my dignity." I told him. He nodded and walked over to a drawer and grabbed my old badge. He handed it to me and I laid my other one on his desk. I saw him throw it away.

"Don't think you'll need that one anymore." he told me with a small smile. "If you need anything, let me know." he told me.

"Thanks, Cap. I appreciate it." I told him and stood up. I walked out and went back to my desk. I sat there for a minute and stared at my purse. I reached in a grabbed the letter Ricky had handed me. I opened it and leaned back in my seat.

_Dear Sara,_

_I know that you probably don't care what I have to say right now. I know you have a lot of questions running ramped in that pretty little head of yours. Hopefully, I can answer them. First off let me say that I love you, Sara. I really do. With all my heart until the day that I die. I never meant to hurt you or make you cry. I only ever tried to make you happy and make all your dreams come true. Unfortunately that dream does not include me being unfaithful. And that I was. I filed right after it actually sunk in that I had cheated. I wasn't going to put you through the pain. I'm leaving you everything. You deserve it. I hope you don't hate me. It was unintentional and I hope you believe that. I was out with the guys one night and had a little too much to drink. She came onto me and I didn't stop her. I'm not going to say that I thought about you because that would be a bigger insult. You weren't on my mind at all. If you were, I wouldn't have been there. I'm sorry I did what I did but I knew there was no excuses and no way for you to forgive me. I don't want you to forgive me. I want you to let it out and hell, send Don and Danny after me. Don would love that. Just know that I'm sorry and that I did love you. I never once stopped. It was the time of my life these past four years. Seeing you walk down that aisle, hearing my last name as yours, kissing you and making love to you. Life couldn't get better than that. I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry for taking that for granted. I love you Sara Beth. I always will..._

_Jason_

I stared at the paper with his hand writing and slowly crumpled it up.

"I loved you." I whispered. I threw it away and looked at my desk. I grabbed the pictures of us in Florida and our wedding and took the pictures out. I threw them away and looked in my desk. I pulled out an old picture of me and Don and put it in one frame and the ultrasound in the other. I smiled and set them back on my desk.

"What are you smiling about?" I heard Don ask from behind. I turned to see him and Stella smiling. She walked over and hugged me.

"Don told you?" I asked as I hugged her back.

"Yeah, He informed us and boy was Danny pissed." she laughed lightly. I smiled a little.

"I bet he got all red in the face and started the 'Boy, I outta.' fist thing, huh?" I asked. They laughed and nodded.

"Yes, he did. Did you read the letter?" Don asked. I nodded.

"Yes. It was a big apology. But it's over now." I told them. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. They nodded and started telling me about the Randy case.

"So he didn't do it?" I asked. Don nodded.

"Yeah. Judge paid of some rookie cop and sent Randy to jail." he told me. I scoffed and shook my head.

"Damn. The world is so messed up." I told them.

"Yeah. But Randy will be in jail for trying to get justice the wrong way. He said he was okay with that because at least the real killer was behind bars." Stella told me.

"DA's going to try to cut a deal." Don finished.

"That's good. So you guys hungry? I'm starving." I asked. They laughed and stood up.

"You're always hungry." Stella smiled. "You're like another Don." I glared at her.

"You did not just compare me to him? Stella, I thought we were cool." I joked. Don glared at the both of us.

"Not funny. Didn't you ever hear that you're supposed to pick on someone your own size? Stella has got leeway, you don't shortie." he told me. Stella laughed and we walked into the lobby. We were laughing when I heard a shrill voice call me from behind.

"Sara!" she called. I froze and turned to see Jason' mother, Renee.

"Oh no." I mumbled.

This was not going to be fun...


	6. Assault

**Ok so this literally just flowed off of my fingertips...lol. I started and to take a page from Danny...BOOM! there it was. I really hope you guys like it. I had a horrible weekend and got food poisoning so it was hard to concentrate but when I finally sat down it came out of nowhere. And please tell me what you think...good or bad. I'd love to know! Well, I hope you like it. Again...I wann thank these people for reviewing:**

**cherrypark 101 -_This is so not the last of Renee and the Callahans...lol. But yes, on a not pregnant day Sara could so take Renee down. Her bark is worse than her bite! :)_**

**hope4sall -_Thanks the affair was a last minute idea but I got some things planned for the future. And it wouldn't a be a good NY fic if it wasn't shaken up a bit...lol!_**

**Madison Bellows -_Thanks for the little tip about pensions, I looked online and didn't find anything so I just kinda went with what felt semi-right...lol. _**

**Jayden Bell - _Thanks for reading at 2am...I also do the 2am readings myself! Glad you think it's worth it! :)_**

**WinchesterWench - _Aww thanks! With all the good Flack/OC fics I feel kinda small but I'm glad you like it! So far it's doing pretty good!_**

**nattybatty55 -_Thanks I'm glad you liked and reviewed. I appreciate it! :)_**

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I had worked with Don for years. We were the traditional good cop/bad cop team. I, of course, was the good cop and Don the later. I had my tough side incase my good side wasn't good enough. But on average was a very friendly person. I loved people and people loved me. And in my twenty plus years of living never had I had met a person that could make me cringe without even knowing them until I met Renee.

The moment I met her I knew I was in for a hell of a ride. She had this holier then thou attitude that radiated a hundreds mile around her tiny figure. And boy, for such a tiny woman nothing about her was tiny. Her ego was big, her attitude was big and her mouth was even bigger.

"Renee. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked sweetly covering my stomach with my case file. I hadn't bothered calling her for the simple reason that I wasn't ready. And the news I got today made me want to avoid it longer.

"Don't play sweet. You need to get a lawyer. You're not getting anything for my boy." she told me snottily. I saw Don and Stella step back and watch closely.

"No need. He came to me earlier. I don't want anything of his. You can keep it." I told her. She looked shocked for a second and then smiled.

"So you already jumped into another man's pockets?" she asked. I saw Stella's jaw drop and take a step forward. Don grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"No. I just don't want your son's pity money." I retorted. She smirked and stepped forward.

"So you know about the affair? Good, maybe you can learn to satisfy a man so he won't leave your bed." she spat.

Now my jaw had dropped. Honestly, what had I done to piss this woman off? Okay I married her son. So what? I came from a good family. Yes, I was raised by my mom and but my father's family was there. I saw all my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. We had a family reunion together every year. I thought I was a good person. I didn't smoke. I didn't drink regularly. I had sex before marriage but that was with Jason. No one else. I was a good little Catholic girl in my eyes.

"Renee, you can have the money. I don't want it. I do fine by myself." I told her calmly. I wasn't about to start a fight in the middle of the precinct about my husband's affair. God only knows who knew about it already.

"Denial. I'm proud of him. Leaving you was the best thing for him. Too bad he passed before he got the chance to tell you to your face." she declared in a loud voice. I saw rage flash through Don and Stella. That was it...

"There's nothing to be proud of. He was a cheat and coward. He wrote a letter to say he was sorry. You cheat on someone at least have the balls and be man enough to tell your wife to her face. You raised a boy not a man. You should be ashamed at how he turned out." I seethed. Don walked forward but I shot him a glare, as did Renee.

"I raised a damn good man. You ruined him. You took him from me." she yelled.

"He was a damn pitiful man. And you're a damn pitiful woman. If you raised him right he wouldn't have cheated. He would have been a man and came home." I spat at her. She turned red and stood up straight.

"You are a lying whore. I know you were sleeping around on him. You didn't deserve him and you don't deserve his money. You don't deserve anything of him, especially his last name. You are not worthy." she yelled. I smacked the case file onto Don's chest and put my finger in her face to yell more until she gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. I remember my rounded belly and stepped back.

"You're..." she started.

"Pregnant. Three months." I told her. She looked at me shocked then shook her head.

"It's not his." she told me. I felt the blood boiling in my veins and I tried my best to keep calm. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"I'm not sure what I did to make you hate me but Renee you know damn well I would never cheat on him." I told her, my voice cracking with anger. She glared at me.

"That is NOT his baby, you slut!" she screamed. I was about to scream back when her hand came across my face. I felt Stella grab me as I held my stinging face. I saw Don open his mouth to say something but as he did another voice came booming out of no where.

"Renee!" boomed the voice. We all turned to see a very red faced and angry Mac walking toward's us. His eyes were narrowed on Renee as he approached.

"She's a liar!" she screamed at him.

"Get the hell outta this building or I will have you arrested for assaulting a police officer." Mac yelled at her. She stood in her place and shifted only slightly.

"No. She's a liar. She wants his money and I will not allow her and her bastard child to get that." she told him. I tried to step forward but Stella held me back.

"She doesn't want his money." Don piped up. "Only money she will get because of Jason will be a widow's check and part of his pension will go into a fund for the baby." Renee glared at him.

"It's not his." she declared again. Don stepped up but Mac grabbed him.

"Get out Renee. They'll do a DNA test for legal reasons anyway. Until then keep your distance." Mac warned her.

"You won't get a dime, Sara." she told me and walked off. We watched her as she left and I sighed. Stella rubbed my shoulders as Mac turned to me.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded and rubbed my temple.

"God, I wish I could drink. I'd die for a Manhattan right now." I mumbled. They all laughed a little. I walked over and sat on the bench.

"Sure you're feeling okay?" Don asked and sat down next to me. Stella walked over to get me a bottle of water.

"What did I do to piss her off? She never liked me. I don't know why." I told them and teared up. Mac kneeled in front of me as Stella walked back over with my water.

"Don't get upset. You've had enough stress for the day. It's not good for you or the baby." he told me. I grabbed the water from Stella and gave her a small smile.

"Thank Stel. I know Mac, but no one's ever hated me like she does. No one hates me except for maybe a few junkies but that's it." I told them sipping my water.

"Don't let it bother you. It's Renee. She's always been a bitch." Don told me.

"I have to let it bother me. I'm pregnant with her grandchild. As much as I hate her I cannot and will not deprive her of her own blood. I'm not sinking to her level." I told him. He smiled sadly and rubbed my knee. I heard Stella's pager go off and she stood up.

"It's Sid. Rain check on dinner?" She asked. I nodded and hugged her.

"Anytime. I'll call you tomorrow and we can brunch or something." I told her. I heard Don scoff and looked down at him.

"Brunch." he shook his head.

"Yes, brunch. Gotta problem?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and stood up.

"No but just because she's leaving does not mean you're not feeding me so let's go." he rushed me. Stella hugged me again and walked off. "Wanna come Mac?" Don offered.

"No. But I do want to see you tomorrow for dinner, Sara." he told me. I nodded and smiled.

There was no need to ask when or where. When we had dinner it was always the same place and same time, Lady DeLuca's at 7:30. We had gone there for years. That was where he told me I made Detective, it was where I asked him to give me away at my wedding, it was where we ate when we were having a hard time and needed to talk. Just us. We made a deal to only go there with each other. It was out thing. Our place and something that held a lot of memories for us.

"Alright, see you then." I told him and walked off with Don.

"About time." he grumbled. I raised a brow and looked at him.

"What's your ailment?" I asked him. He groaned and let a half grin spread across his lips.

"Mac took my light." he told me like I would understand. I bit my lip and kept looking at him. He let the grin spread fully.

"I was trying to be your knight in shining armor back there and he beat me to it." he laughed. I shook my head and smiled as we walked to the car.

"You mean my knight in shining..." I looked at his suit and smiled. "What is that Armani?" I joked. He shut his door and glared at me.

"Shush you. No he beat me to the punch. I'm was kinda pissed." he told me. I laughed and turned in my seat to look at him.

"You would have hit her, Don." I told him. He nodded his head and started to drive home.

"Yeah, well I can plead temporary insanity, can't I? People do it all the time and get off." he stated.

"Yeah but you'd be the one to go to jail." I joked.

"Watch it. No seriously, she hit you. I was gonna defend you and Mac jumped in all father like and went all old school Marine on her ass." he smiled.

"Yeah he did." I smiled softly. He looked over at me and took my hand in his.

"You like that? Him acting like a father figure for ya?" he asked. I smiled up at him.

"Yeah. Makes me feel good. Makes me feel like I didn't miss out all those years, it was just a little delayed." I told him. He smiled and turned the radio on.

We drove the rest of the way home in silence. We got home and Don went to take a shower. I walked into my room and closed the door. I slipped into my silk pajama's and put my robe on. I walked over to the balcony and walked out. Don had good taste when he chose this place. I teased him for a while saying that he got his mom or sister to find it. But Don was a classy man sometimes. I pulled the robe tight as I leaned on the rail.

One thing I would never get tired of is the city. The lights, the sounds and even the smells. It was all too good to get tired of. No matter where you stood you could see the lights of all the buildings and ferry's passing. It was a definitely a sight to see at night. It was never silent. I'd be scared if it was. It as New York, no such thing as silent. You want silent go to Jersey or Albany. Stay away from the city and the boroughs. The smells, well some were grotesque but it was a pleasure to walk down the streets and smell the hot dogs and other vendors. It smelled like the city. Go to the Hudson and you'd smell the water and when it would rain at night, you could smell that too. It was calmly smell. The kind you took a deep breath in and held it to cherish it. This was New York, this was home.

I looked down and started to fiddle with my wedding ring but stopped short. I sighed and rubbed the spot where it was. How did I get here? In a matter of weeks I was reduced from a happy wife to a pregnant widow. Everything I loved was gone. Well, what I thought I loved. I still couldn't believe Jason had cheated. I started to wonder if Renee was right. Maybe I didn't satisfy him. Maybe it was me that made him stray. I leaned my elbows on the rail and held my face in my hands. This was horrible. This is not how I wanted my life to be. It's not how anyone's life should be.

I felt tears fill my eyes and my body start to shake as I thought about it more. I cried into my hands as my mind raced to finish and make sense of all the things crowding it. I looked out into the city and sighed. Why me? Why Jason? I know it was selfish but damn it, I was trying my best to take each blow as it came. It was hard. I couldn't take much more. I let out a sob and jumped a little when I felt a hand snake around my waist and over my belly. I turned to see Don in pajama pants. He pulled me into his chest and let me cry.

"It's not your fault." he told me softly.

"I know but it's hard. Everything I loved has been taken away and now I can't even have good thought about him. I think of him and I see him with another woman." I cried. He rubbed my back as I leaned my forehead on his chest.

"You can have good thoughts. You had nearly four years with him. Think about that." he told me. I put my hands on his chest and looked up at him. He stared down at me and wiped the tears from my cheek.

"I don't wanna think about them though. It makes it harder." I whispered. He held my gaze and let his hand fall to my neck. I shivered slightly and looked away.

"That's your decision but you have years of good memories with him." he reminded me. I nodded my head and place my forehead back on his chest. I sighed and hugged him. He held me and kissed the top of my head. "Let's go inside. You're cold." he said softly. He pulled away from me and that was when I got cold. I nodded and walked inside and sat on my bed.

"It's like it doesn't stop." I told him as he sat next to me.

"I know. But that doesn't mean you have to." he told me. I smiled over at him and he winked.

"When did you get so wise?" I teased. He grinned and tickled the bottom of my foot. I jerked away from him.

"Well, you've always called me a wise ass. This is just a different side of it." he declared as he stretched. I watched all the muscles in his chest and arms tighten and loosen as he brung his arms up and then back down. I shook my head and looked at my belly.

"I'm gonna be fat." I stated. He laughed and leaned over to rub it. I smacked his hand away but he came right back.

"It's there to be rubbed, Bear. That's why it get so big." he told me. I leaned back on my elbows and laughed.

"It get that big because there's a baby in there." I reminded him. I let his hand fall on the top of it and let his thumb massage it lightly.

"I don't mean this in a stupid way but I don't think it'll hit me that there's a baby in there until you have it." he told me. I tilted my head and looked at him.

"What do ya mean, Donnie?" I asked.

"I know there's a baby in there but it's kinda surreal. I've never really been around a pregnant woman before. I know what happens but being this close is kinda freaky. It makes it seem real and exciting." he told me. I smiled and placed my hand over his.

"I know. It's unreal for me and I'm the one carrying it. I don't think it'll hit me until it gets here. The belly is a reminder but it's just there for now. Kinda like it's just for show." I told him. He smiled and rubbed my belly again.

"See? Even you agree it's there to be rubbed and poked at." he laughed. I swatted his hand away and leaned back onto my pillows.

"Maybe. It's nice to see you and Danny into it though. I thought you guys would pick on me like bad." I told him. He got serious and gave me a hard look.

"We'd never do that. Maybe in fun and games but we'd never hurt your feelings. And if we ever have you can tell us." he told me.

"I know." I said softly. "So you're excited?" I asked.

"About the baby?" he asked. I nodded and he smiled. "Yeah, it'll be nice to see you as a mom. I was around me nieces and nephews but never got too close until they were older. But now I get to be there firsthand." he told me.

"You don't have to, Don. I can do this on my own." I said seriously.

"I wanna be there, I wanna see it firsthand. I don't want you to do it alone. Besides, why do it alone when you have people here for you?" he asked me. I felt my eyes fill again as I nodded. He got up and kissed my head and walked out. I sighed and crawled under my covers. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and smiled. What would I do without these people?


	7. Fabio and the Bimbo

_Sorry it took longer than expected. A friend got me Paint Shop Pro 9 and she's been teaching me how to use it! So far I got a semi-good Carmine banner on my hands...lol. But I'm still learning! And yes, this has Don's POV in it. I like using different POV's but I was waiting for the right moment to start. So I hope you like it!_

**JaydenBell** - _Yeah, I was like that with my sister. The fact that there was going to be a baby didn't really hit me until it was here. Then it was weird not having the belly to rub and poke...lol!_

**Winchester Wench** - _Yay! You should have heard the squeal I let out when I saw you reviewed...lol. Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Yeah the season finale over here was a couple weeks ago, poor Mac. And it won't come back on until September...Darn! I don't wanna wait! :(_

* * *

I've worked with Sara for years. She was my partner, my best friend and the person that kicked me in the ass when I was fucking up. She was always there for me. Through the problems with my dad, through the bombing and the whole Truby thing, Sara was right beside me the whole time. Whether it was holding my hand or letting my yell at her. She doesn't realize how much she has done for me and thinks I'm crazy for helping her out. But she's been there day in and day out and I'm going to show her that same courtesy. Anyways, it's not like I don't wanna help her. Even with Jason here I would have wanted to be a part of this.

Sometimes I think I know her better than I know myself. I knew her moods, her twitches, her smiles, her tones and everything that is her. I know her eyes dart back and forth when she lies. She bites her lip when she's nervous. She pulls at her ear when she's concentrating and she wiggles her nose when she's thinking. She's never been one to let life get her down. She's always taken it as it came but I could see her getting tired. This was all too much.

Why was she getting the brunt of the bad luck? I've been nearly blown up and survived, give me part of it. I can take it. She doesn't deserve this. It's tearing her apart. And seeing her like this was making me weaker. She never gave me the chance to be the stronger one. She always held her own. Seeing her broken just ripped into my like a knife. It made me want to yank Jason out of the box he's in and kill him all over again. Make him pay for hurting her, for cheating on her and for using her. I kept cursing myself for letting make his way into her life. I know it was selfish and it's a jackass thing say. But I'd give anything to go back and make him run like me and Danny wanted to do at first. But we wanted her happy and we thought maybe he could do that.

I was wrong. I only know it now as I close her door. Leaving her after another night of crying on my shoulder. I couldn't tell you how many times we had gone through these nights but it was a lot. And even though I loved that she was letting me let her lean on me, it was also driving me insane. I walked downstairs and grabbed my keys.

I walked into Sully's and made my way to the end of the bar.

"Don, what can I do ya for?" Jack asked. I looked up at him and took my jacket off.

"Anything that will pass the time. And preferably quick and strong." I told him. He nodded and handed me a beer and a shot of whiskey. I stared at it for a while and sipped my beer. "I don't know what to do Dan." I said softly.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked and sat next to me. Jack brung him a beer and walked off.

"I saw Jack call someone after I got here. Figured he'd call you." I told him and downed my shot.

"He said you wanted to pass the time quick and strong, that true?" he asked. I looked over at him and nodded. "Care if I join?" he asked. I grinned and shook my head.

"Be my guest." I told him and waved Jack over.

After about four beers and three shots a piece we were close to calling it a night. We had talked about the usual baseball, hockey and basketball. A few cases made their way in but at the end we finally talked about what we wanted.

"How is she?" Danny asked me. I shook my head and set my beer down.

"She cries all the time. I'm not sure if it's hormones or what but she does. She seems to be getting better but every time I think that something else comes along." I told him. Danny shook his head.

"Boy what I wouldn't give to bring Jason back and rip him a new one." he said sipping his beer. I nodded and agreed.

"My thoughts exactly. I just can't believe he would do that." I told him.

"I know. I mean I didn't like him all that much but that's me being protective. But I never got the feel of him being a cheater. They always looked so happy." He said. I nodded and swirled my beer.

"I feel like it's my fault." I confessed. Danny narrowed his eyes and set his beer down.

"This ain't your fault, Flack." he said pointing a finger in my face. I finished off my beer and shook my head.

"No. I'm her best friend. I should have ran him off or something." I slurred slightly as I opened another beer. Danny snatched it from me and glared at me.

"I'm her friend too. If your blaming you, you're blaming me too. If we would have tried to run him off she would have hated us. It's not our job to make her avoid mistakes. It's out job to be there when the mistakes surface. To hold her when she cries and to catch her when she's falling. You're doing a damn good job of that." he told me. I looked at him and sighed.

"I know, I know. I just, it's killing me to see her like this. She's supposed to be happy and I know she's not. Her world is falling apart around her and I know she's feeling it. She can't take much more. And I'm trying to be there but she's always telling me no or telling me that I don't have to be." I told him.

"Flack, man, she's always been tough. It's hard for her to realize that she needs someone. Just keep being there for her. She won't take it for granted." he told me. I nodded and stood up.

"Let's go. Did you drive?" I asked.

"Took a cab. I'll drive you and your car home and I'll get a taxi back." he told me. He drove me home and helped me inside. I accidently hit the hallway table and heard footsteps from the kitchen. I looked up from Danny's side to see Sara running over.

"Hey Bear!" I called out to her. She stopped and glared at Danny.

"You got him drunk!?" she asked. Danny held his hands up in defense.

"No. Jack called me. I just accompanied him." he told her. She rolled her eyes and walked over to me. I grinned at her and leaned on the wall. Danny shook his head and walked off.

"I'm leaving. I gotta work early. Can you handle him?" he asked. Sara nodded and I waved. I looked back at Sara when the door closed and gave her another grin. She tried to hide a smile but failed.

"You need to go to bed." she told me. I shook my head and stumbled over to her. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into the living room.

"Now, I'm tired." I told her. I fell onto the couch and she sat on the coffee table. I looked up at her and smiled. "You're glowing." She rolled her eyes again and sighed.

"You're drunk, Don." she mumbled.

"No, you're pregnant and glowly." I told her again. She looked up at me and glared.

"Why are you drinking? I should be the one drinking my mind away, not you." she snapped. I sat up quick and felt myself sober up a little.

"Why am I drinking?" I yelled. She stood up and crossed her arms.

"Yes, why are you drinking? What could you possibly have to drink away?" she yelled. I felt myself get faint as I stood up but regained composure and glared at her.

"Newsflash baby doll! You ain't the only one that has problems. And it's pretty damn selfish to think so, Sara!" I yelled. I felt my blood boil and I heard that voice of reason yelling for me to stop but I wanted to get this through her head.

"Don't call me selfish!" she screamed. She turned to walk away and I grabbed her arm. She glared at me and pulled away. "Hands off of me!"

"No! You asked what I had to drink away and now I'm gonna tell ya!" I yelled. She crossed her arms.

"By all mean tell me what your problems are, Don. I'd love to hear them." she said sarcastically. I got in her face and pointed at her.

"Wanna know my problem?! You!" I yelled. "Everyday you tell me that I don't have to be here. That I don't have to put myself through this." I yelled.

"You don't!" she cut in.

"Shut Up!" I screamed. She jumped and stared at me. "I know I don't have to be here. But I am. I want to be. Sara, you don't understand." I said in a calmer voice. I grabbed her arms and sat her down in front of me. "You don't realize how much you've done for me these past few years. You've been there for me through thick and thin. Why is it so hard for you to let me be there for you?" I asked. I watched as tears fell down her cheeks and she shook her head. "Talk to me, Bear." I asked softly.

"I'm afraid I'll loose you too." she whispered. I pulled her onto my lap on the couch and hugged her.

"You won't loose me." I whispered. She shook her head.

"It feels like it. The only thing I have left for life to ruin is you. They've taken everything else from and screwed the rest up. The only thing I have to loose now is you!" she cried. I held her ans kissed her head.

"It'll be okay. But you gotta stop trying to push me away. I wanna be there for you like you've been there for me." I told her. She nodded and calmed down. She leaned up and looked at me while I wiped off her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." she said softly. I smiled and kissed her nose.

"It's alright. But you gotta stop trying to act tough, it's ok to let someone take care of you." I told her. She nodded and looked down at her hands.

"Let's go to bed." I told her. She stood up and held her hands out. I laughed and grabbed them. She tried to pull me up and I yanked her back down. She laughed and fell back into my lap.

"Ya big ape!" she smiled. I looked down at her and gave her a big grin. "Damn those dimples. They can make a girl go weak in the knees." she laughed.

"Even you?" I asked. She smiled and looked away. "Sorry. That was wrong." I told her and helped her stand up. I started to walk to the door and she grabbed my hand.

"Even me." she smiled and walked out.

* * *

I felt kinda guilty after last night with Don. I hadn't realized how much I had done for him and how much if affected him. It didn't seem like I was doing anything special. It came naturally, wanting to help him. He was right though. I didn't want to have to lean on someone but it was getting tough. I was always the independent one and it was hard for me to admit that I needed help. But I couldn't do it by myself anymore. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Mac standing beside me.

"Hey!" I greeted him and stood up. He looked me over and smiled.

"You look great." he said and kissed my cheek. We sat down and signaled the waiter for our drinks. The whole restaurant knew what we wanted and they made sure the new employees knew it too.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. Who knew Mac Taylor could clean up so nicely." I joked. He smiled and moved so the waiter could set our glasses down.

"Well, it's nothing Flack would wear but I got some class." he joined in. I smiled and looked around. "Have you talked to your mother?" he asked.

"Yes. She's excited. She said she wants to come down soon and spend the weekend." I told him. He nodded and sipped his drink.

"How's work coming? I know you must be going crazy sitting at the desk all day." he laughed.

"Yes, my god. I hate it. They won't even let me interrogate. It's horrible." I told him. He chuckled and shook his head.

"That's good. You don't need to be around suspects pregnant. Too many risks." he told me.

"I know, I know. But I'm cranky and it's annoying." I smiled. We chatted for a few more minutes until our food came and he got serious.

"So how are you?" he asked slowly. I sighed and pushed my food around with my fork.

"Considering I'm pregnant and a widow, I'm good. Don unintentionally sent me on a guilt trip last night but it helped." I sighed.

"Yeah he talked to me earlier. He wanted to apologize if he upset you." he told me. I smiled and shook my head.

"He didn't. He was right. I was being selfish and trying to act tough." I told him.

"You're stressed. It's natural to try and be strong, especially for someone like you." he told me. I nodded and picked at my food. We were silent while we ate and then I spoke up.

"I'm scared." I confessed my voice cracking ever so slightly. He put his fork down and grabbed my hand.

"Of what?" he pressed. I sniffed and closed my eyes.

"Of being pregnant, of having the baby. Of being a single mom. Of being alone." I listed. I laughed and shook my head. "God, I sound so naive."

"No. You should like a first time pregnant widow. You have every right to be scared, Sara. But you shouldn't be. You have plenty of people to help you and make sure you're ok. You're not alone." he told me. I wiped my eyes and nodded.

"I know but what if I'm not a good mom?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

"You will be. I've known it for a while." he assured me. I smiled and shook my head.

"I have been crying way to much." I laughed. Mac smiled and stood up.

"Hormones. Poor Flack." he teased. I playfully glared at him and stood up.

"Poor Flack? Poor me. I live with him and his dirty socks." I laughed. He smirked and shook his head. We walked outside made our way to the street. He held an arm out and waved me a bac. He opened the door as one stopped.

"I'm proud of you. You know that right?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. "I've always been proud of you. Of everything you've done. Professional and personally. You're a great woman, Sara Beth. That baby is very lucky to have you. And one day you'll meet a man that will love you and your baby more than anything. You might be suffering now but you're strong and you'll be rewarded one day." He told me. I sniffed away my tears and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you Mac. Thank you for everything." I whispered. He held me tight and pulled back.

"No, thank you. Thank you for letting me fill that void." he told me. I smiled and kiss his cheek. "Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow." he told me. I smiled and got into the cab. I rode home and saw Don's car wasn't there. I walked in and set my bag down. I took my coat off and walked into the living room. I gasped and turned around when I did.

There was Don and a very blonde woman on the couch. He was hovered over her and she was giggling like the bimbo she looked like. And even though the look on his face was priceless when he saw me, I was not amused. The woman gave me a nasty look and grabbed her shirt.

"Shit!" Don cursed. "What are you doing home so early?" he asked flustered. I turned back around and glared at him.

"It was just dinner Don." I told him. I swallowed as he pulled on his button up shirt and fixed his jeans. His hair was messy and he looked well, he looked gorgeous. I shook my head and glared at him.

"Sorry. I know." he sighed and looked over at the woman he was with.

"Your wife?" she asked snottily.

"No, no, no. My roommate." he told her quickly. She raised and eyebrow and looked at me.

"Your pregnant roommate?" she asked again.

"Baby not mine. Listen, I'll call ya sometime." he told her and showed her to the door. I stood in the same spot I had stopped at and bit my lip. He came back in and sighed.

"I'm so sorry. I lost all track of time and god, Sara. I'm sorry." he apologized. I nodded and looked at the floor.

"It's alright. It's your place anyways." I started. He cut me off with a hand over my mouth and one on my arm.

"Shush. If you dare say you should leave, I'll smack ya." he told me. I sighed and removed his hand. I looked up at him and smiled a little.

"Then I'll call the cops." I teased a little. He gave me that knee weakening grin and let his hands drop to mine.

"I am the cops, Bear. I am really sorry though." he told me again.

"It's alright." I told him. I looked him over once again and smirked. "Now how about button your shirt up. You're so not Fabio." I told him and walked off.

"I know. Fabio's so gay. I'm way better looking." he declared and walked after me in the kitchen. I smiled and turned to face him.

"Only in your sick little mind." I teased. He grabbed my waist and pulled me to him.

"Aw come on, Bear. You know you like what you see." he grinned at me. I smiled back up at him and ran my finger across his exposed chest. His grin got bigger and I leaned up to his ear.

"It's sad when you have to resort to flirting with a pregnant woman." I whispered and walked off leaving a very stunned and grinning Don behind.

"That's wrong, Bear. Just plain wrong!" he yelled after me.


	8. MILF

_Ok so here it is. I hoope you like it! Thank a bunch for all the neat reviews. :)_

_hope4sall - Yes, Bimob alert. He has a bad habit with those, huh? :) Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I want there relationship to be wasy going so I hope I get that through._

_cherryspark101 - Yes, I have fallen many times for those dimples. The idead actaully came to me on the season finale of Without a Trace. Her having the baby alone and Jack telling her she didn't have to do it alone. I thought a female cop having a baby like Sara is would be a nice little story. I'm glad you like it though!_

_JaydenBell - Yeah, that feeling of wanting to smack them will keep going for a little bit longer...lol. I wanna do it too trust me! :)_

_WinchesterWench - Thanks! There will be more of Don'd POV. I had to add in a woman for Flack. A man can get lonley...lol. And I wanted to put her in the wrong. With so much going on she's bound to get nasty and she did but Don got nasty back._

* * *

I walked down the main hall in the lab with one single envelope in hand. I smiled at it and quickened my pace. My destination was the break room. My business was to finally end the pool of what I was having because to day I found out. Some would be walking out with a lot of money and some would be walking out with none. I walked to the break room and saw the team and a few lab techs. I pushed open the door and grinned at them.

"Ready" I asked. They smiled and I sat at the head of the table. "First, I do not know what it is. I told them to print it out and put it in here. Second, who says what?" I asked. Danny pulled out a list and smiled.

"We got hat covered. Alright for girl it's Don, Stella, Hawkes and Lindsey. For boy it's me, Mac, Adam, and Sid. Alright, spill." he said and laid the paper down.

I smiled and ripped the envelope slowly. I peeled the top back and took out the picture and held it to my chest. I smiled at everyone.

"I want no sore losers." I warned them.

"Alright, damn it. Tell us." Danny rushed. I smiled and looked at the picture. I looked at the baby and then at the big pink words at the bottom. I smiled and felt the tears fill my eyes.

"It's a girl." I told them. Stella and Lindsey jumped up and hugged Hawkes the 'losers' threw the money on the table. I stood there staring and the only one who seemed to notice was Don. He stood up and walked over to me. He took the picture and smiled at me.

"Congratulations, Bear." he whispered and kissed my cheek. I smiled at him and looked back at the picture.

"Now we can plan a baby shower!" Stella exclaimed. I laughed and put the picture on my purse.

"I have four more months for a baby shower." I told her. She nodded.

"Yes, but now we know what it is so we can go buy the right stuff." she said.

"Whoa, does it have to be pink?" Danny piped up. Stella glared at him and crossed her arms.

"It's a girl, so yes." she told him. I sighed and shook my head as the bickering started. I grabbed Don's hand and pulled him out the door. We walked down to the farthest hall and took the elevator to the roof. We walked out and looked around.

"You excited?" he asked after a few minutes. I smiled and took a deep breath.

"Yeah." I answered. He tilted his head and stared at me.

"Talk to me, Bear." he asked softly. I smiled and took a deep breath. I looked for another subject to change the topic and smiled.

"How's your bimbo?" I laughed. He stared at me and then smiled.

"Danielle is fine. Not that you care." he smirked. I looked over at him and shook my head.

"No, I don't care. You have really low standards, Donnie." I teased. He laughed out loud and shook his head. He turned serious but smiled at me.

"No, maybe I think that some people have higher standards and time has a way of messing things up." he told me. I smiled and looked at the ground.

"Well, time is inevitable. It's always messed up but it has a way of paying you back." I told him. He nodded and looked away.

We looked out over New York for a few more minutes until he walked off. It wasn't a bad leaving. We just didn't need to say anything. It always amazed me at how much we could say to each other without talking or even saying it directly. We knew each other too well. I kicked a few rocks and walked back inside.

I always dreaded getting pregnant. Mainly because I thought the nine months would drag on and I'd be miserable. Well, I was half right. I was miserable but the past 7 and a half months had gone by quick. I looked like was ready to pop and I still had 6 more weeks. The doctor said the baby was normal size so apparently Don and Stella had been forcing too much food down my throat. But I wasn't complaining as long as she was healthy I was fine.

"Oh no!" Stella yelled from her bedroom. We were having the baby shower today and of course she volunteered her apartment.

"What's wrong Stell?" I asked walking into her room. She looked up at me and frowned.

"I forgot to get you a card. I got your presents but I forgot a card." she told me. I laughed and shook my head.

"Stell, you've done enough. I'll live without a card." I told her. She nodded her head and grabbed the brightly color presents from her bed.

"Let's go!" she said happily and walked past me. I sighed and followed her. We walked back into her living room and finished setting up. I looked around thirty minutes later and smiled.

"Excited yet?" Stella asked me from behind. I turned my head and nodded.

"Yeah. It looks good, Stell. Thank you." She walked over and laid a hand on my belly.

"It was my honor." she smiled. I patted her hand as someone opened her front door. I looked over and saw the brigade rushing in. "About time!" Stella frowned at Danny. He rolled his eyes and set his presents down. He smiled at me and walked over to rub my tummy.

"Hey there little one." He cooed. I rolled my eyes this time.

"Danny, don't scare the kid." Don said walking up behind him. I smiled as he kissed my cheek. "How are ya?" he asked.

"Good. Tired but good." I smiled. He nodded and smiled at someone behind me. I turned around and saw my mom smiling. "Mom!" I squealed and walked over to hug her. She hugged me as tight as she could and laughed. "What in the world are you doing here?" I asked as I pulled back.

"It's your baby shower, Sara Beth. Where else in the world would I be?" she smiled and wiped a few tears away. I hugged her again and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for coming. I'm so happy you could make it." I told her.

"Thank Don. He helped me get here." she smiled. I looked behind me and saw Don trying to hid his grin. I walked over to him and threw my arms around him. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up a little.

"Thank you." I whispered in his neck. He kissed my shoulder and pulled back.

"You're welcome. Maybe it'll make up for my bad present." he joked. I smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. I made my way around the party that consisted of friends and family. My mom wasn't the only one that showed up. Don's mom, Jane, also showed up and nearly smothered my in kisses. About an hour after everyone arrived Stella called us into the living room. She sat me in the front of the group and a pile of presents.

"Alright start opening. Tell me who it's from too." she ordered. I laughed and grabbed the first box.

"Okay this is from Jane Flack." I said while opening it. "Aww Jane." I gushed as I pulled out a footprint and hand print box.

"What is it?" Danny asked. I smiled and held it up.

"It's clay. You stick the baby's hand and foot on the box and it makes a mold of it. Thanks Jane. I love it." I told her and hugged her neck.

"But I wanna be there when you do it." she told me. I nodded and grabbed another one.

"This is from Lindsey." I told Stella. I opened it and pulled out a sling carrier. "Linds I wanted one of these." I smiled. She lit up and walked over to me.

"I saw it and had to get it. My cousin said they are perfect. I figured you might like it." she told me. I smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Thanks, hon. I love it." She sat back down and I grabbed another. I smiled and looked at Stella. "This is from Stella." I smiled. She clapped her hands and smiled. I opened the box and gaped at what was inside. "I don't know if wanna hug you or shoot you." I gasped. I pulled out the baby bag and held it up.

"It's a baby bag, so what?" Danny asked. Stella glared at him.

"It's an 1100 baby bag. It's custom made. I had a friend do it." she smiled. I got up and hugged her.

"Thank you Stella." I thanked her and kissed her cheek. She smiled and handed me another. "From Danny himself." I laughed. He smiled and waved his hands to hurry me up.

"Open it." he told me. I laughed and ripped it open. I picked up the shirt and laughed out loud. "Like it?" he smiled. I held it to my chest and nodded.

"I will so wear this Danny." I said in between breaths.

"What is it?" Don asked. I turned it around and everyone burst into hysterics. "I'm a M.I.L.F.? Danny that's your gift?" Don laughed.

"Well, she is!" he exclaimed. "But no, I did get her something else. Here." he said and handed me a tiny box. I smiled and opened it. I felt tears prick as I picked up the tiny silver charm that looked like baby's feet.

"It's beautiful, Danny." I whispered. He smiled and patted my leg.

"It's an Italian charm for a baby's birth. I got a bracelet to but it was late. I'll get it to ya as soon as I get it." I smiled and hugged him.

"Ok so Danny does have a soft side." Stella chimed in and patted his back. I laughed and went to grab another bag but Don stopped me.

"Save that one for last." he told me softly. I nodded and grabbed the one next to it.

"From my mommy." I smiled. I opened the bag and took out a pink book. "A baby book." I smiled and ran my fingers across the front cover.

"I looked for a nice one but didn't find any worthy enough. So I pulled out my old materials and made one myself." she smiled. I flipped through the book and nodded.

"You made that?" Stella asked looking over my shoulder. I nodded and looked up at her.

"She's real crafty. She made a gorgeous one for me and..." I paused. "For my wedding." I said softly. Stella patted my back and took the book.

"It's nice. I didn't know you could make these." she told my mom. I grabbed the second to last present and opened it.

"From Mac Taylor." I announced and opened it. I bit my lip and tried to hold back tears as I looked at the photo. "Oh Mac." I whispered. I smiled up at him and looked back down at the picture. It was me and my dad.

"I figured she should have at least one picture of her grandfather and mommy together. You were only two months old there, I think." he told me. I nodded and looked up at him.

"Thank you." I said softly. He smiled and kissed my head. I looked over at Don and nodded to his present. "Can I open it now?" I asked. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah I guess so." he mumbled and handed it to me. I smiled and pulled the paper off the top of the bag. I looked into the bag and smiled. I pulled out the white bear and smiled. I looked at the front and saw 'Isabella' in silver writing.

"You remembered." I smiled at him. He nodded and sat down in front of me.

"Of course. Hopefully you still wanna name her that." he laughed. I looked around and smiled.

"I already have a name. I mentioned it forever go before me and Jason were even married. I always wanted to name my girl Isabella Grace." I told them. They all smiled and nodded.

"It's beautiful. What last name will she have?" Stella asked slowly.

"Roberts. Renee made it very clear that she want's nothing to do with it." I told them. They all nodded and my mom spoke up.

"Isabella Grace Roberts, I can't wait to meet her." she smiled. I nodded and rubbed my tummy.

"Me either." I whispered. That day I got special presents from everyone plus a load of clothes. I also got stroller set and a extra crib set. With the stuff I got from the shower and the stuff I had already bought, Isabella's room was ready. I had everything I needed except for the baby.

"So four more weeks." Don stated as we sat at our desks. I nodded and set my pen down.

"Four more weeks. Feels like it's going slower now." I moaned. He laughed and closed a file.

"You'll live. My mom keeps calling me asking how you are. It's getting annoying." he said rubbing his face.

"At least she cares." I laughed. He nodded and stood up. I looked at him as he grabbed my purse. "Where we going?" I asked and stood up.

"Lunch, I'm hungry." he said. I followed him and walked into the main hall. I stopped suddenly when I saw the lights blink. Don grabbed my arm and looked around. "Did you see that?" he asked.

"Yeah." I whispered. They flickered again and the fire alarm went off. The sprinklers came on and everyone screamed. "My god!" I yelled. Don grabbed my arm and walked over to Mac who had walked out from the hallway.

"The whole buildings gone haywire. Let's get outside." he yelled over the noise. We started walking when the building started to shake. I fell into Don and he held me up. I looked around as pieces of the ceiling started to fall.

"Get down." Mac yelled. Don pulled me to the ground and covered my body as best as he could. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as the building fell apart around us. After a few minutes everything seemed to calm down and I felt Don lean off me.

"Stay down." he told me. I stayed put until I felt him lift me up to my feet. I leaned against him and looked around. People were covered in plaster and dust. It looked like we had an earthquake.

"What happened?" I asked looking up at Don. He still held a tight grip on me but shook his head.

"Seems like a fucking earthquake." he said. Mac walked up and laid a hand on my back.

"You ok, Sara?" he asked. I nodded and rubbed my tummy.

"I think I'm fine. Was it really an earthquake?" I asked him. He nodded and looked around.

"Seems so." he said. We looked around and started walking to the front door. "Looks like the door's not blocked." he said. We walked over but I stopped. Don still held my arm and jerked when I halted.

"Sara, what's wrong?" he asked. I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I think, I think my water just broke." I whispered.


	9. Isabella Grace

_Sorry it took so long. This week has been hectic. My boyfriend's little step sister has quite a few disbilites and she's been really really sick. But thanks for all the fab reviews and I hope you enjoy this one. And I'm so sorry for the making it seem like an earthquake...You'll see what I mean in this chapter and a few more to come._

_hope4sall - Thanks! I added a twist to the twist...lol._

_cherryspark - Thanks! Again I so mislead you guys...lol._

_BrownEyedGirl75 - Lol...I'd be a hypocrite to not forgive you. I was the worst lurker on MOB. I just started reviewing! But thanks, I'm glad you like it!_

_Jayden Bell - Thanks! i hope you enjoy this one._

_Winchester Wench - I had to add in the MILF shirt from Danny. I can so see him giving that to someone. Thanks a lot. I try to add more detail. :)_

_Madison Bellows - Well, thanks for catching up and reviewing. I really hope I got the labor scene down...lol. I've only seen a real birth twice...lol._

* * *

I stared at him and watched his own baby blues widen. The only thing going through my mind was that we might have just had an earthquake and the hospitals are going to be packed. And well, that I'm not due for another four weeks.

"Don, the hospitals are going to be packed." I told him as he looked around for Mac.

"Just hold on." he told me. He grabbed some girls arm and pulled her to me. "She's in labor. Stay with her for like five minutes." he told her. She nodded and helped me sit down.

"I'm Ashley. Do you need anything right now?" she asked sweetly. I shook my head and looked around. "I can't believe this happened." she muttered, also looking around.

"Yeah, earthquake in New York. Thought that was just a movie." I laughed. She looked at me confused.

"This wasn't an earthquake." she told me. It was my turn to be confused.

"What was it?" I asked. She shook her head and looked down.

"There was an explosion in one of the tunnels. Somehow the sub system went down and two trains collided." she told me. I felt panic course through my veins.

"Your kidding right? Oh my god!" I winced as I felt my stomach tighten. I looked at her and frowned. "I'm not going to be able to have the baby there. All the hospitals are going to be crazy." I told her. She shook her head.

"No, it's ok. We'll get you taken care of." she promised. I nodded and looked for Don or Mac. I waited a few mor minutes and Don's figure weaved through the crowd.

"It wasn't an earthquake." he told me breathlessly.

"I know that now. Don I'm in labor what am I gonna do?" I asked worried.

"Take you to the hospital." he told me. I shook my head and winced as another contraction came over me.

"The hospital's are going to be busy. She's already having contractions. They won't be able to see in her time." Ashley told him. He sighed and stood up.

"Hold on." he said and ran off. I watched him leave and come back with Hawkes.

"How far apart are they, Sara?" he asked. I took a few breaths and looked at him.

"About 7 minutes." I breathed. He looked at Don and stood up.

"I know a delivery doctor. He works at a Women's Center. If we hurry we can get there in time." he told me. I nodded and let Ashley help me up.

"Okay, well let's go." I said. We made our way out with few interruptions. We took Don's squad car and he flipped on the lights. "You don't have to do that, ya know?" I told him. He looked in the rearview and stared at me.

"You're in labor in the back of our squad car. Yes, I do." he reminded me.

"I need to call everyone." I said to no one in particular. Hawkes looked back at me.

"We'll get every informed. You just sit back and try to relax." he told me. I nodded and leaned on Ashley's shoulder.

"You didn't have to come." I whispered to her. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Call this my good deed for the day." she laughed. I was quiet for the rest of the ride but right as we got there, I started to get irritable.

"Don, hurry." I whined. He sighed and pressed the gas.

"I'm trying babe. I'm trying. Is it this turn?" he asked Hawkes.

"Yes. I've already got a wheelchair out waiting." he said. Don turned and pulled into the parking lot of the center and stopped at the entrance. Ashley opened my door and helped me out. I turned to Don and stared at him.

"Hurry." I begged him. He nodded and drove off to park.

"How far are the contractions?" the nurse asked.

"About 3 minutes." I told her. She nodded and rolled me into the center.

"When was your due date?" she asked pushing me to the back. I looked back and saw Don running up with his call phone to his ear.

"I'm not due for another four weeks." I told her while looking at Don. He hung up and rubbed his face as we walked in the delivery room.

"I finally got a hold of Mac. The crash was horrible. They called in everyone to help." he told me. I stared at him and panicked.

"Don't tell me you have to leave. I can't do this by myself, Donnie. Please, don't go." I fumbled. He ran over and grabbed my hand.

"No, no, no. Calm down. I'm not leaving. Capt. gave me a pass. Stella and Danny are getting your mom. Mac said he couldn't get off. But he'd be here as soon as he can." he told me. I nodded and laid back onto the bed. The nurse hooked an IV up as the doctor walked in.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Richards. I'm glad Sheldon called me. It would be hectic trying to get you into a hospital on time." he told me. "Let me just take a look and see how much you're dilated." he said. He moved my feet into the stirrups and Don turned around. The nurse laughed.

"It's nothing you haven't seen, sir." she smiled. I bit my lip and waited for his response.

"I have seen it plenty of times, just not on her." he replied. The doctor and nurse looked up confused.

"He's my partner. My husband passed away when I was two months. He's been helping me." I cleared it up for them. They nodded.

"That's a good man then." the nurse smiled. Don held up his hand as a thanks.

"Looks like you're at 8cm." the doctor informed me putting my legs down. Don slowly turned around and looked over at me.

"What's that mean?" he asked.

"That means that I will hopefully be having this baby soon." I told him. He nodded and looked at the nurse.

"Will the baby be okay? She's not due for another month." he asked. She smiled.

"Everything seems okay. Some babies are born earlier or later. But by this time they are near full development. She will be a week premature but so far it looks good." she told him. He nodded and sat down.

"Are you hurting?" he asked after a few minutes. I lifted my arm up and smiled.

"Not really. I can still feel them but it's only slightly uncomfortable." I told him. He shook his head and looked at his phone.

"Stella and Danny were about 10 minuets away last time I talked to them but traffic is bad." he informed me.

"I hope they make it. Stella and mom were supposed to be in here when I have her. I don't wanna do it alone." I said softly. He grabbed my hand and rubbed the top of it.

"You won't have to do it alone. I'll make sure of it." he promised. I smiled and squeezed his hand. About 5 minutes later the nurse came back in to check me. Don turned away as she looked at me. She popped her head up and smiled.

"Let me get the doctor." she said and walked out the room. I looked over at Don and felt nervous for the first time. He looked just as nervous.

"Is it time?" he asked. I nodded slowly and bit my lip. "Quit. It's okay." he told me. I let my lip go and watched the doctor and two nurses walk in. I looked over at Don.

"They're not here." I whispered. He looked at his phone again and sighed.

"Who's going to be in here with you?" the doctor asked. I shook my head.

"They're not here yet. So I guess it's us." I told them sadly. They nodded and took the stirrups out.

"I'm staying." Don declared when the nurse pointed him to the door. I stared at him as the staff smiled.

"Don, you don't have to. I'll be fine." I told him. He shook his head and took his coat off.

"I promised you I wouldn't let you do it alone. I've never broke a promise to you." he said untying his tie.

"I'll forgive you." I laughed. He shook his head and looked at the doctor.

"I'm staying. Now what do I do?" he asked. I smiled and grabbed his hand.

"Just hold my hand." I whispered. He nodded and looked at the doctor.

"If you want to see the baby we'll have the sheet over her knees far enough that if you look a little you'll only see the baby and not her, well her stuff." he doctor smiled. Don nodded and looked down at me.

"You ready, Bear?" he asked. I nodded and lifted my feet in the straps. One nurse stood behind the doctor and the other went to my other side.

"Okay, so when you feel a contraction we need you to push hard for us. And we'll be counting back from ten slowly as you do. When we stop counting, stop pushing. Don, you got that?" he asked. Don nodded. The nurse looked over at the monitor and squeezed my hand.

"Alright, here's the first one. Now push, Sara." she coached. I sat up and pushed down as hard as I could. I felt Don rubbing my back as everyone counted from ten.

"5...4...3...2...1. Stop pushing." they said in unison. I dropped back onto the bed and breathed hard. The nurse wiped my head and I squeezed Don's hand.

"I can't." I whispered. He kissed my head and rubbed my hand.

"Yes, you can." he said.

"Another push, Sara." the doctor called. I sat back up and pushed.

"10...9...8...A little bit more...7...6...5...Almost there...4...3...One big push, Sara...2..." they were cut off but the sound of a baby crying. I dropped back on the bed and closed my eyes.

"Good job, Sara. She was ready." the doctor smiled. I looked down as the doctor passed the baby to the nurse and cut the cord. I looked up at Don.

"Go see her." I told him. He smiled and walked over to the nurse. The doctor finished with me and set my legs down. I watched as they cleaned her up and wrapped her in a blanket.

"You wanna see her now?" the nurse smiled. I nodded and sat up a little. I reached out and scooped her from the nurse. Don sat next to me and smiled.

"She looks exactly like you." he told me. I peeled the blanket from her neck and looked at her better. I laughed as I saw my green eyes and my light blonde hair on her head.

"She does. She even has my nose and lips." I smiled.

"You sure Jason had any part of this?" he joked. I laughed and shook my head.

"Doesn't look like it." I told him.

He moved on the bed next to me and wrapped an arm around me. We sat there and stared at the tiny baby girl in my arms. It was peaceful. New York was nearly crushed today but now it all seemed to fade as I looked at my baby. Her chest moving up ever so slightly and her eyes moving behind he closed lids, it was the best feeling. Her soft new born baby skin brushing my lips when I kiss her cheek. It was like nothing I had experienced before.

"Miss?" the nurse asked from the door. I looked up and smiled. "There are some people here to see you." she smiled and pushed the door open. I watched Stella, Danny, my mom and Hawkes walk in and smiled.

"Hey guys." I greeted. My mom covered her mouth and walked over to my other side with Stella. Danny and Hawkes stood next to Don.

"She's gorgeous." my mom gasped as I pulled the blanket down. Stells reached over and rubbed my head.

"I'm so sorry I missed it." she said sadly. Don perked up and smoothed out his shirt.

"Hey, I kept her company." he told her. Stella glared at him playfully.

"I meant the delivery." she said. I smiled and looked up at Don.

"He did." I said. They all looked at him with raised brows.

"You were in here with her?" my mom asked. He nodded his head and looked down at the baby.

"Yes, I was. But I kept my distance from the actual seeing the baby being born." he laughed. Danny patted him on the back..

"You got more guts than me, Flack. I would have fainted." he declared. I laughed. I looked around and frowned.

"Where'd Ashley go?" I asked. Right then the door swung open and I saw a bunch of flowers and balloons. The person carrying them peeked form behind and smiled.

"I'm here. I had to go get decorations though." Ashley smiled. I laughed and looked at the flowers.

"They are beautiful. Ashley I want to officially introduce you to everyone. This is Don, my mom, Stella, Danny and Hawkes. They are my family, friends and co-workers. Guys this is Ashley. Don grabbed her and made her stay with me." I laughed. They all said that hello's and turned their attention back to me.

"So give me that stats?" Stella asked. I looked at Don. He smiled and recanted the baby's stats.

"She was born at 2:12pm. She was 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. Pretty healthy for four weeks early." he told them.

"What are you naming her?" Ashley asked.

"Isabella Grace." I told her. She smiled and sat on the end of the bed.

"It fits her perfectly." she said. We all agreed and took turns holding her. All went smoothly until it was Danny's turn.

"I'm gonna drop her." he declared backing up from Hawkes and Isabella.

"No you won;t. Just take her. Hawkes will show you how." I told him. He sighed and held his arms out. Hawkes gently laid her in his arms. Danny moved her around a few times and smiled.

"It's not that bad." he told me. I smiled and watched him look down at her.

"You're the godfather." I told him. He snapped his head up and stared at me.

"What?" he asked. Everyone smiled and looked at me.

"I want you to be her godfather. I've wanted to ask you forever but I wanted to wait until she was here." I told him. He looked at me and smiled.

"I'd love to." he accepted. He handed the baby back to Hawkes and walked over to me. He leaned over and kissed my head. "Thank you, Sara." he whispered. I kissed his cheek and smiled.

"And Stella..." I smiled. She grinned from ear to ear and held her hands. "Would you like to be her godmother?" I asked slowly. She squealed and kissed my face.

"Oh yes! I'd love to." she smiled. We all laughed until Danny stopped us.

"Why did you pick me and not Flack or Mac?" he asked.

"Mac is her grandfather. Plain and simple." I told him.

"And Flack?" he asked again. I smiled at Don.

"He'll be more than a godfather." I told them.

"But less than a father." he finished.

We all sat there and chatted about the baby and the crash until it was nearly 10pm. Everyone had left except Don. He sat in the corner chair taking a power nap. I smiled and looked back down at Isabella. It was silent until a familiar voice broke through.

"I heard we've got another Sara on our hands." Mac said. I looked up and smiled. He had a single pink rose in hand.

"Yeah we do." I said softly. He walked over and set the rose beside me. He held his hands out and I handed him the baby.

"She's beautiful, Sara." he whispered. I smiled and wiped my tears away.

"Thank you." I whispered back. He smiled at me and nodded at me.

"No, thank you for bringing her here." he told me.

He sat next to me and we watched her sleep. She was beautiful. She was mine. And she had made me and everyone else so much closer. She finally gave us the bond that made us family. She connected us. Like we have all been connected.

_In my daughter's eyes I am a hero  
I am strong and wise and I know no fear  
But the truth is plain to see  
She was sent to rescue me  
I see who I wanna be  
In my daughter's eyes_

_In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal  
Darkness turns to light and the  
world is at peace  
This miracle God gave to me gives me  
strength when I am weak  
I find reason to believe  
In my daughter's eyes_

_And when she wraps her hand  
around my finger  
Oh it puts a smile in my heartEverything becomes a little clearer  
I realize what life is all about_

_It's hangin' on when your heart  
has had enough  
It's giving more when you feel like giving up  
I've seen the light  
It's in my daughter's eyes_

_In my daughter's eyes I can see the future  
A reflection of who I am and what will be  
Though she'll grow and someday leave  
Maybe raise a family  
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy  
she made me  
For I'll be there  
In my daughter's eyes_

In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride


	10. Rich People

_Thanks for all the reviews! They seriously make me happy! Ummm I hope I didn't go to far on this chapter with the scene. just let me know if I did. Anyways, I just got wireless internet in the middle of nowhere...lol...So my comp is uper slow but at least it let me post this. Well, I hope you like it. We will be jumping up to the present in a few more chapters...Just a little FYI._

_JaydenBell - Thanks! Yes, in a very negative world on a very bad day a miracle is born. My nephew's birth was kinda like that. So I used that for inspration!_

_hope4sall - Yes, he will have an even better connection wiht in future chaps. FYI - I am currently reading your story Behind The Scenes. I love it so far...I just gotta review! blushes Sorry! _

_WinchesterWench - Aww thank you! you are too sweet. I have to have the little Mac moments here and there...lol. _

_laplandgirl - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Hopefully, you'll come back...lol!_

* * *

I knew that when a baby came into the world it not only affected the one who gave birth but it affected everyone around that person. I also knew that life with those people around would become very hectic and memorable. And that very hectic and memorable life didn't pass me by. I got the full brunt of it as the people around me were all employed by the great city of New York City. My friends and family were none other than the NYPD Homicide and NYPD Crime lab employees.

Today was most likely one of those memorable days. Bella, as Don had come to call her, was almost a month old and today was her first trip to the precinct and lab.

"What are you doing here?" Angell asked when I walked into the room. I smiled and walked over to my fellow female detective.

"Taking a field trip." I told her.

"I don't blame ya. I's go crazy sitting at my house all day." she smiled and moved a few files so I could set Bella's car seat down on her desk.

"Oh it's horrible but I'm not complaining yet. But I'll be a wreck when I do come back." I laughed and looked at the tiny baby in front of me. "Say I've gotten attached to you." I cooed.

"You come back in two weeks, right?" she asked unbuckling Bella and picking her up.

"Yes, thank god. Jane agreed to watch her so I wouldn't have to put her in day care and take more time off.

I really didn't wan to put her in day care until she was older but I needed to go back to work. So Jane Flack, being the saint she is, agreed to take care of her when I work. 'Day or night, rain or snow.' was what she said when I asked. And my mom was in the process of moving closer so she could help out.

"That lady's amazing." she said and looked down at Bella. "So how is she?" she asked.

"She's a peach. She really is. She doesn't full out cry, she starts to whimper. She squirms when she needs a new diaper. She's a great baby." I beamed. Jess bounced her for a minute and looked over at me.

"Are you happy?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. And that's the first time in forever I can say that and mean it." I smiled. She nodded and set the baby back in her seat.

"Well, I'm glad. But I'll be so much happier when you get back. Flack has been a bitch." she laughed.

I knew what she was talking about. People had been telling me that Don had been unbearable. That he had a bad attitude since I had been on maternity leave. At first I thought it was the stress of having a new born around but soon I found out that it was simply that fact that I was gone. I heard they tried to pair him with other detectives but he didn't take it so well. He didn't play well with others, if I must say so.

"I heard he's been a handful." I said pulling out a bottle for Bella. I set it on the blanket and let her drink.

"He's horrible. I'm the only one he let go with him. And he mostly complained that he was pissed that I came." she told me. I bit my lip and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sorry. He's fine at home. But I'm the same when he's out. After the explosion I was a total bitch. Capt wanted me to take leave for a bit." I told her. She grabbed her badge and laughed.

"You two are helpless without each other." she smiled. "Well, you enjoy you're trip and I'll see you in two weeks." she said and walked off. I waved and looked at Bella.

"You ready to go cause a ruckus in the lab?" I asked and picked her up. I made my way to the elevator and rode up to the lab. I stepped out and looked around.

"Damn, where is everyone?" I asked myself and walked down the hallway looking for anyone familiar. I walked to the break room and laughed. "You lazy bastard's." I announced as I walked in.

"Well, this is a nice surprise." Mac smiled and pulled a chair out for me to sit in.

"Yeah, I was bored. So I thought you might wanna see a pretty face." I smiled and sat down.

"Well, I haven't see it yet but if you do tell me." Danny joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Ha Ha, vert funny." I said sarcastically. I set Bella down next to me and watched as Danny and Stella started to move out their seats. "No, she's asleep." I told them. They sat back down and frowned.

"I heard Don say she had a doctor's appointment yesterday?" Stella asked. I nodded and stood up to get a cup of coffee.

"Yes. She's fine. Average in weight and height. Healthy little girl." I assured them.

"That's good. Flack said she was a sound sleeper." Danny told me. I laughed and set my coffee down

"How much does Don talk about her?" I asked.

"Oh about every chance he can." Mac answered. I nodded and poured sugar in my cup.

"Well, that's nice. Yes, she is a sound sleeper. Thank god. I'd feel bad if don didn't get any sleep because of her." I told them. "She only wakes up at about 1 and 5 am." I said sipping my coffee. It had become my best friend again. And I was taking advantage of it.

"That's good. She's a passive baby, like her mom." Mac told me. I smiled at him and nodded.

"What about her isn't like Sara?" Danny asked. "She's the spitting image of her." he laughed. We laughed and Danny's pager went off. "Well, I gotta go. Adam's finally got my results. I was thinking about stopping by later. Thank okay?" he asked.

"Sure. Just call me or Don first." I told him as he left. I heard Bella moving around and looked down at her. She was awake and squirming.

"Do you need a change?" I cooed and went to pick her up.

"I'll get it." Stella offered. I nodded and pushed the baby and her bag over. She picked them up and smiled at me. "We shall return." she said and left. I looked over at Mac and sighed.

"Go ahead and ask." I mumbled. He grinned and leaned on the table.

"Have you talked to the Callahan's?" he asked.

"Sorta." I muttered.

That was the truth. After Bella was born I sent out birth announcements. They were the first one's I wrote and sent out. I also talked to Jason's old partner and asked him to talk to them for me. Two days ago he called me and said they yelled at him for believing me. They were still stubborn as hell.

"Have they not contacted you?" he asked.

"Nope. They know full and well that she is here and they know where I live. I'm guessing they made their decision. I can't force them to see her." I told him. He nodded and threw his cup away.

"Well, she will be loved all the same. She's got plenty of family as it is. If they want to be in on her life, they can. But we won't waste time." he declared. I agreed and turned to the door to see Don walking in.

"Hey you." I greeted. He looked past me and looked around my chair.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where's my Bella?" he asked. Mac shook his head and left.

"Well, hello to you too." I laughed. He looked out the door and sighed. "Calm down. Stella went to change her." I told him.

"Sorry, long day." he said sitting down next to me. I looked over at him and smiled.

"Trouble with a case?" I asked sweetly. He glared at me.

"No." he said flatly. Since I had been out I was trying to find any way to help out but he wouldn't let me. "You're not getting involved. You can help when you come back."

"I just wanna help." I whined. He looked over at me and turned his back to me.

"You can help. Massage me." he ordered. I rolled my eyes and started massaging his shoulders. I frowned when I did.

"Jesus, Don. Is the case that bad?" I asked feeling hoe tense he was.

"Yes, and that's all I'm telling you." he mumbled. I continued to try and massage the knots out his muscles.

"Here we are." Stella said as she walked in the room. Don pulled away from me and grabbed the baby from her. She laughed and set her bag down.

"Greedy much?" Stella smiled. Don glared at her and smiled down at the baby in his lap. We watched as he tickled her tummy and made her laugh.

"He'd bee a good father one day." Stella whispered.

"Yeah, he's great. He helps out all the time. He's taken to her well." I whispered back. We looked over when Bella let out a squeal.

"Looks like that feeling is mutual." she smiled.

I nodded my head in agreement and looked over at him. That whole family was full of saints. So why did I have to pick the one full of demons and bad news? I had to pick the rough road. But hey, everyone makes mistakes.

* * *

I was so happy she was back. Those six weeks were hell without her. I was okay when she was on desk duty because she was still there to help. But not being able to see her or have her help at work was driving me insane. Before Sara came along I worked alone. Somehow she changed all that and we made a perfect team. So when she was gone, I reverted to my old ways of being a lone man. I'd let Jess come with me a few time but I wasn't happy about it. The only company I wanted or needed was Sara's. But all bitching aside, Sara was back and everyone was grateful for that.

"So you ready for this?" she asked as we walked up to the old building.

"I've seen dead bodies before, Sara." I told her. She had been back for two weeks and oddly enough the city had been quite until now.

"I know but they said it was pretty gory in there." she said. Flashing her badge to the officer at the tape. We walked under the tape and walked in. I looked around and heard Sara let out a gasp.

"My god." she whispered.

I started at my left and scanned the room. It was open with just a few chairs and tables. Laying on the closest table was a woman no older than 25. Her throat was slit and she was assumed naked. The first on scene had draped a jacket over her. On any other occasion I would have been pissed but I wasn't as I stared at the tiny body in the chair facing her.

"He's no older than four, Don." Sara said coldly as we walked over. I sighed and looked at the little boy. He had a wound to his stomach but I couldn't tell what from. His mouth was taped and his hands were tied behind his back.

"Where's Mac?" I asked softly looking away from the boy.

"About ten minutes out." she replied wiping her eyes.

"You can't let it get to you, Bear." I reminder her softly.

"I know. It's just different seeing a baby like this. You start to think of the one you got at home." she told me weakly. I nodded and pulled out my pen and pad.

"Ya know, it's still weird hearing people call you a mom." I joked trying to lighten the mood.

"You're telling me." she laughed softly. We started writing down details of the gruesome and heart wrenching scene.

"What have ya got for us?" Danny asked walking up with Mac at his side. Mac stared at him. "I just wanted to say it once." he defended.

"Not a lot. Two victims presumed to be mother and son. No ID and the officer's found nothing on or around the scene." Sara spoke up.

"So all we got is two dead bodies and a bunch of blood?" Danny asked. We nodded and watched them snap on gloves and start to take pictures.

"Who found them?" Mac asked. I looked at my pad and flipped a page.

"A contractor, William Hitchens. He came to check out the place. He was starting work later this week." I told them.

"What was it going to be?" Danny asked snapping a few pictures and picking at the bodies with tweezers.

"An apartment complex." a voice from behind said. I turned around and saw a man in a very expensive suit walking toward us. I pointed my pen at him as he stopped.

"You better work for the police or you're gonna regret wearing that suit when you're sitting a holding cell next to a bum." I warned him.

"No, I don't work the slum you call the police. I own this building." he told me. I felt Sara stand next to me.

"I don't really care what you own. If you don't have a badge, you need to be on the other side of that yellow tape. We'll be glad to talk to you there." she told him.

"No. This is my building." he said again.

"No. This is my crime scene. Which happens to hold two very mutilated bodies so you need to step away." she snapped at him. He glared at her and then looked at me.

"I want all this cleaned up now." he spat. I pulled out my cuffs and held them up in his face.

"Listen, I'll offer you this one more time. You can happily find your way across the yellow tape and talk to us outside or I'll arrest you, drag you under the tape and yell at you in the interrogation room? Which do you prefer?" I asked with a smile. He looked at Sara and back at me.

"I'll see you outside. But make it quick. I have better things to do." he said and walked away. I smiled at Sara.

"You big meanie." she teased. I raised a brow and stared at her.

"Hey, you got a little feisty too." I laughed.

"Yeah, it was kinda hot, Sara. Seeing you all mean and hot. 100 MILF, if I say so myself." Danny smiled.

"Alright, you two go talk to the owner and we'll finish up here." Mac told us. We nodded and walked out to the impatient man.

"So maybe we got off on the wrong foot." Sara stated as we stopped in front of him. "I'm Detective Sara Roberts and this is my partner Detective Don Flack."

"I'm Richard Riner. I own this building. May I ask what happened?" he asked somewhat more calm.

"Your contractor found two bodies in this foyer. How long have you owned the building?" I asked him.

"About a year. I inherited it from my father. He built it about 30 years ago." he told us. I nodded and looked back at Mac who was waving us over.

"Well, Mr. Riner we'll need you to stay close just incase." I told him and turned to leave.

"Will my building be done soon? I really need to get this up and running!" he called after us. I rolled my eyes and looked at a fuming Sara.

"Rich people disgust me sometimes." I declared. She looked at me and smiled.

"Only sometimes?" she asked. I laughed and walked back to the building.


	11. Cold Case Pt1

_Ok so this is more of a filler. If the case seemed a bit quick, it was supposed to be...hence the Pt.1 :) Ummm thanks for all the great reviews! I'm glad it's gotten this many so far. I didn't think it'd get that far...lol. Well, the next should be up Sunday or Monday._

_Madison Bellows- Thanks for telling me about the lone break before anyone else read it...lol! I was in such a hurry and I forgot. I'm glad you liked it though!_

_BrownEyedGirl75- Thanks! I lurked on MOB for a while too!! So yes, you are very much forgiven! I'm glad you like it though. Maybe I can keep it up!_

_hope4sall- Yes, I tried to add my experiences with my nephew in as much as I could. So the first line I actually felt from experience! _

_WinschesterWench- Yeah, rich people can be butt's sometimes. I love them on NY though. Don usually gets all nasty with them...lol. Yeah, the case will be more defined later but it was pretty gory in my mind. Keeo reading, I got a fwe things up my sleeve!_

* * *

We walked back into the building and over to Mac who was standing over a tiny hole in the floor boards.

"What's that?" I asked. He looked up at me and moved the board more. I kneeled down to get a closer look and saw a piece of paper.

"I'll repeat. What's that?" Don asked this time. Mac smiled and picked the paper up. He opened it and held it up.

"I stepped on the loose board and it moved a little. When I moved it I found this. It's a picture of the victims." he told us. I looked at the picture and frowned.

"It's from that Looney Larry's place downtown. They all kinds of games and stuff for kids to play in." I said noticing the border of the picture. "They've got to be mother and son."

"Well, Danny's sent some of the DNA samples to the lab already. We'll find out soon." Mac said standing up.

"You find anything else?" Don asked. Mac sadly shook his head.

"Nothing. No fibers, no trace, nothing. Whoever did this, knew what he was doing." he told us. It sent shivers down my spine hearing him say that.

"What's the TOD?" I asked looking at Hawkes walking up.

"Sadly enough different times. The woman's TOD is about 9 hours ago." he looked at his watch. "About 2am. And the boy's is 8 hours ago." he told us. I looked at the bodies and sighed.

"He watched his mother die." I whispered. Hawkes nodded and patted my shoulder.

"It seems so. I'm going to move them to the morgue and get a more definite COD for the two." he said and walked away. I looked at Don and shook my head.

"Why do we get the real sickos?" I asked. He shrugged and looked at the door.

"I dunno, Bear. But we should head back to the station. See how Lindsey is coming along with the stuff Danny sent over." he suggested. I agreed and we headed for the lab.

"I hope Lindsey's got something." I sighed and pushed the doors to the lab open.

"I know. I have a bad feeling we aren't going to get any further on this." Don said walking next to me. He stopped when his phone went off. I looked at him while he talked.

"Capt needs me. Go talk to Linds and call me if you get anything." he told me. I nodded and walked off to the trace lab.

"Hey, Sara." Lindsey greeted. I sat next to he and rubbed my head. "Bad day?" she asked.

"Horrible. That scene was ridiculous." I sighed.

"I heard. Danny said it was a blood bath. I haven't seen the pictures yet but I'm afraid to." she said.

"Yeah, you don't want to. You got anything good for me?" I asked hopefully. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"All the blood was from the victims. They are indeed mother and son. But there are no hits anywhere." she said sadly. I groaned and stood up.

"Have you gotten anything from Sid or Hawkes yet?" I asked walking to the door. She shook her head and I walked out. I saw Don walking with Mac towards me.

"Lindsey get anything?" Don asked.

"Nope. Only confirmation that they were mother and son. She hasn't got anything from the morgue yet either. Mac nodded and looked at us.

"Well, I'm about to go down there. Who wants to join me?" he asked with a smirk. Don backed up and looked away. I rolled my eyes and smacked Don's arm.

"Yeah. I'll go."

"You okay?" Mac asked on our way down to the morgue. I looked over at him and smiled.

"Yeah. It hits a little closer now but I'm good." I assured him.

"Don, said you got a little choked up at first." he told me.

"Yeah, I did. But again it hits closer now. You think we'll get him?" I asked. He sighed and pushed his way through the doors.

"I hope so." he said. "Hawkes, tell me you have something." he asked walking over to the tables with the child and woman.

"Well, we got a mold of the wound on the toddler. I still can't tell what it is." he said handing Mac the mold in a bag.

"What was the official COD?" I asked. Mac smiled and looked over at me.

"Are you a detective or CSI?" he teased. I smiled and looked at Hawkes for my answer.

"He bleed out. It seems like he made the wound and let the boy bleed." Hawkes answered. I sighed and looked away.

"The mother?" Mac asked.

"She was cut with a knife." he said handing Mac a bag with pictures and a mold. "She died instantly when the perp cut her carotid." he explained. I nodded and looked at Mac.

"I'll take these up to the lab and run the prints. I'll get Danny to do the molds." he told me and started to walk off. I took a few steps and looked back at Hawkes.

"Did he suffer?" I asked him softly. He sighed and looked at the toddler on the table.

"With as small as he is even a tiny amount of blood loss would have rendered him unconscious. If he did suffer, it wasn't for long." he told me. I nodded and walked out.

I made my way to the pit and looked for Don. I saw him at his desk and walked over.

"Hey." I greeted softly. He looked up and pointed to my desk.

"I got you lunch." he said. I sat down and removed the sandwich from the bag. I smiled when I saw it was turkey and cheese. "Yes, I know what kind of sandwich you like." he smiled at me.

"Thanks. Have you talked to your mom?" I asked taking a bit.

"Not yet. Bella's fine, don't worry." he laughed. I threw a pen at him.

"I can't help it. I worry." I defended myself.

"It's that mommy instinct." he laughed again then shook his head. "You just don't see like a mom." he told me. I rolled my eyes and wiped my mouth.

"Why not?" I asked.

"You're too hot to be a mom." he stated. I laughed and shook my head as Danny walked up.

"Hence, why I call her a MILF." he said setting a file down in front of me. I wiped my hands and picked it up. "Meet our vics." he said as I looked at the file.

"Leslie Ramon, 24 years old." I scanned the file and looked up at Danny. "Child abuse?" I asked.

"Yep. About 6 months ago. They cleared her and gave her son back." he told me. I looked at the next page.

"Charlie Ramon. Two and a half." I said out loud.

"Was she married?" Don asked. I looked further and nodded.

"Yes. Charles Ramon. Lives in the eastside." I said standing up. Don finished his lunch and grabbed his gun.

"Well, let's go have a little chat with Charles. You coming Danny?" he asked. Danny nodded and followed us out the station.

* * *

"Mr. Roman?" I asked when a middle aged man opened the door.

"Yes. Who are you?" he asked wearily. It looked like he had been up all night.

"I'm Detective Sara Roberts, this is my partner Don Flack and CSI Detective Danny Messer. We're here about your wife and son, Leslie and Charlie." I told him. He breathed out and smiled a little.

"You found her? She takes off sometimes. Are they here?" he looked around. I shot a worried glance at Don and looked back at the man.

"Mr. Roman-" I started.

"Call me Charles." he told us.

"Charles, may we come in?" Don asked. He nodded and showed us to the living room. Danny looked around while I sat in front of the soon to be grieving man.

"Charles, I have some bad news." I started slowly. He looked at me worried and nodded for me to continue. "Mr. Roman, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but your wife and son were found earlier this morning." I told him.

"What do you mean found?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"They were murdered, Mr. Roman." I finished softly. He covered his mouth and choked on a sob.

"I can't believe this." he cried. I patted his shoulder and pointed for Don to get him a glass of water.

"Charles, I need to ask you a few questions." I told him. He nodded and drank the glass Don set in front of him. "When was the last time you saw your wife and son?" I asked.

"Yesterday at lunch. They came to my work to see me. She had gotten off early and picked him up from day care." he told me. I nodded and write down her work and the daycare.

"Did you talk to her after that?" Don asked. He thought for a minute and nodded.

"I talked to her around 9 that night. I was asked to work over and I called to tell her." he told us.

"Do you know where she was?" I asked. I saw Danny stand next to me and cross his arms.

"She was getting gas in Manhattan." he told us.

"Does she have a credit card or bank card she uses?" Danny asked. He nodded and leaned back into the chair.

"Yeah, I'll give you the account numbers. Will you find you did this?" he asked me.

"We'll try our best." I promised. He grabbed my hand.

"Please, catch him." he begged. I pulled my hand out and nodded.

"If we need anything else we'll call you." Don told him. We walked out and walked to the car.

"I'll get her phone and card information, see where she was last." Danny said from the back. I nodded and looked out the window.

"I'll call his work to confirm his alibi." Don added. He reached over and grabbed my hand. "It'll be okay." he said softly. I looked over at him and smiled.

"I hope so." I said just as soft.

* * *

The days went by slowly and we still had nothing. Charles Ramon's alibi checked out. Our time line stopped at 9pm when she bought gas. Her phone was untraceable and it looked like out killer was a ghost. He simply came out of nowhere and killed that woman and her child. We put up their photos on t.v but no one remember seeing her past the gas station. Her car was no where to be found and it was an older model so there was no tracking it. We but a bulletin up on it but no on had seen it. The case had gone cold as fast as it was made hot.

"Sara!" Don yelled from the door way. I looked up from my comfy bed and glared at him.

"What!?" I snapped. He grinned and walked over and sat on my legs. "Oof! You big ape, get off." I whimpered. He moved off my legs and gave my that famous dimpled grin.

"Get up. I'm tired of playing mommy to your kid." he said. I gave him a confused look and glanced at the clock.

"My god, it's noon. Why didn't you wake me up?" I said getting out of bed.

"You were too cute. I got Bella up and dressed. But she does have a stinky diaper I saved just for you." he smiled.

"Aww thanks, Don. It's all I ever wanted." I said sarcastically and walked into the living room to change my stinky 10 week old.

"How did we manage to get the same day off?" he asked sitting on the couch.

"I don't know. But don't jinx it." I told him putting Bella's pants back on and picking her up. I sat next to him and set her in my lap.

"She's getting big." he stated. I nodded and poked her belly.

"Fat too. She eats like you." I laughed. He playfully glared at me and stole her form my lap.

"Well, she loves me." he smiled and lifted her over his head and kissed her belly. "Don't cha."

"Put my kid down." I warned him. He frowned and handed her back to me.

"Jealous." he mumbled. I looked at him and laughed.

"Of you? Never." I smiled. He nodded and looked away.

"That's called denial." he said casually. My jaw dropped and I put her in her bouncy chair.

"I am not jealous of you." I told him flatly. He shrugged his shoulders and sipped his beer.

"Whatever you say, Bear." he said.

"Why would I be jealous of you?" I asked crossing my arms. I was not letting this go. He laughed and looked over at me.

"I was joking." he told me laughing lightly. I glared at him.

"Well I'm not. Why would I be jealous of you?" I asked a little harshly. He set his beer down and turned to me.

"I was joking. There's no reason you should be jealous of me." he said seriously. I bit my lip and walked into the kitchen. He sighed and called after me. "Bear, come one." he called. I stopped in front of the sink and waited for him to walk after me.

"I was kidding." he said walking in. I turned the water on and grabbed the sprayer. He walked up behind me and I turned around and sprayed him. He stood there after I was done and smirked ever so slightly. He back up and nodded slowly.

"Ok, you will so pay for that." he said softly. I went to walk away when he grabbed my arm and pushed me back into the counter. He flung the fridge open and grabbed an egg.

"No, No!" I yelled as he smashed it on my head. I gagged as the egg crawled down my face. I heard a gurgle and a laugh from the doorway and looked over. I saw Stella holding Bella laughing at us.

"At first, I felt bad for you and Bella having to live with Don. Now, I feel bad for Bella having to live with you two." she laughed. I laughed and looked at Don.

"We will so finish this later." I warned him. He grinned and wiped my face with a rag.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." he smiled.


	12. School Girl Jitters

_Ok so here is where we jump to the present! The Pt. 2 will be up soon, so don't fret. But here it is and I hope I don't disappoint! And the next chapter will be out soon. I'm starting it tomorrow sometime! FYI! I made a banner for the story...It's in my bio under the Bonds, duh!_

_Madison Bellows - It's going to be a nasty case, I mean any case is with kids. But Sara will have a time dealing with it but I guess it comes with the job. I hope I can keep your interest with it...lol. Thanks for reviewing!_

_cherryspark101 - Yeah, I had to add that. The moment when you realize it's okay to move on. Adults can be kids too...lol. Glad you liked it though! :)_

_Wenchester Wench - I was wondering where you went! But no worries! Yeah, the case is kinda harsh but I had ti find one that would hit Sara close to home. But I'm glad you liked it other than that sad note...lol!_

_hope4sall - Yes, everyone loved the ending! I'll have to remember that! Yes, the case is kinda going to be interseting as it developed more. And what do ya know...lol...Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

I've never been one to complain about life going by fast. When I was younger that's all I wanted. I wanted to be sixteen so I could have that big party and get my car. I wanted to be eighteen so I could move away and do things myself. I wanted to be twenty-one so I could get slap faced drunk with my girls. But now was the time I wanted life to slow down, a lot. No it wasn't because I was nearly thirty. My baby was going to be two years old tomorrow. It seems like yesterday that she was born and now she was walking and talking, well jibbering mostly. It was scary. Would the next sixteen years go by this fast or was this just a tiny fast forward? I was hoping it was the latter of the two.

"Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma!" came the tiny voice from the floor. I groaned and looked over the edge of my bed.

"Isabella, just five more minutes okay." I told her. She tilted her head to the side and looked at me.

"Ma, hunry." she told me. I sighed and got out of bed.

"Okay, let's go eat." I said picking her up. I walked into the kitchen set her in her high chair. The past week had been hectic. Stella was trying her best to help me with the party while I tried to tone down my workload. The day care where I had Bella was shut down for three weeks so I had to hurry and find a baby sitter. Half the time Bella was with me at work. When Don and I had a call out I dropped her off with Mac or someone at the lab. I couldn't put her off on Don's mom or mine. They were getting a tad bit frail, so to speak.

"Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma!" Bella squealed from her chair. I smiled and grabbed the box of cheerio's from the pantry. I poured two bowls and poured milk in one. I sat the plain bowl in front of Bella and watched her stick her hand in. I smiled and started on my own bowl.

It was quiet, just me and her. I moved out of Don's place about six months ago. I could afford it and Bella wasn't a hard child to deal with. She was very well mannered and calm for the most part. Sure she had her tantrums and fits when I didn't give her what she wanted but she was a good girl. It's not like I was completely alone. I only moved three blocks away from Don. He was right there when I needed anything.

A cheerio to my face cleared all thoughts. I looked over and saw Bella grinning at me. I smiled and grabbed our bowls. I laid them in the sink and filled up my coffee. I heard a key in my front door and smiled.

"Good morning, Donnie." I called out when I heard the door open. Bella turned in her seat and looked for him. After a few minutes she looked at me and put her hands in the air.

"Wer Dah?" she gurgled. I shrugged and tried not to smile at Don sneaking up behind her high chair. She turned around and he ducked to the side. He popped his head up and waited for her to turn back to me. She did and let out a squeal and she saw him.

"Dah!" she smiled. She grabbed his face and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips. He smiled through the slobber and ruffled her light blonde hair.

"Ah just like I want my mornings. Wet and sloppy." he smiled at her. I laughed and handed him a napkin.

"Sorry. I didn't get to wipe her face yet." I apologized and grabbed a wipe to clean her up. She squirmed but let me do it anyways.

"That's alright. Babies are supposed to be messy, right?" he smiled. I nodded and threw the wipe away. I turned back to him and smiled.

"Well, good morning." I greeted again. He grabbed my coffee and sipped it.

"Good morning. Sorry, I didn't greet ya earlier. I was on the prowl." he smiled and pinched Bella's neck. She laughed and smacked his hand.

"It's alright. So what brings you by?" I asked pouring another cup of coffee and sitting down next to him.

"Oh beside the need to see the two most beautiful women in the world?" he smiled. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"Yes, besides that and the need to bug the hell outta me." I smiled back. He huffed and looked at Bella.

"Jokes already. You know you love me." he told me confidently. I smiled at him over my cup.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I teased. He looked back at me and got serious.

"Renee called my house." he said lowly. I coughed when the coffee went down the wrong tube. Don jumped up and patted my back. I waved him off and caught my breath.

"Callahan?" I finally choked out. He nodded. "What did she say?" I asked.

"Wanted to talk to you. I told her that you moved out and she asked why." he started.

"Because I can." I mumbled. He smirked and finished recanting the conversation.

"I asked her what she wanted and she just said for me to tell you to call her. Said she really wanted to talk." he told me. I nodded and thought about what she could want.

"She's dying." I said simply. He laughed and pushed his empty cup over to me. I got up to refill it.

"Why do you say that?" he asked as I walked back to the table.

"The woman hates me. She's gone two years without calling me, seeing me, or talking to me at all. Now out of the blue she calls. Something bad must have happened." I explained. He nodded and looked over at Bella.

"You think she wants to see her?" he asked. I sighed and set my cup down.

"Maybe." I said looking at my baby.

"Will you let her?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm not going to deprive the woman of her grandchild, no matter how evil she is. Now she starts something, I'll kick her ancient ass. But maybe she's come into her senses." I told him. He smiled and finished his coffee. He stood up and grabbed my cup to put them in the sink.

"Well, give her a call soon. She sounded like she really wanted to talk." he told me. He turned back to me and leaned on the counter.

"What?" I asked after a few minutes of him staring at me.

"How long has it been since you've been out?" he asked seriously. I laughed and stopped suddenly. Has it been that long?

"Oh lord, Don. I don't know." I told him a little embarrassed. "Since like forever." I answered.

"Since Isabella was born?" he asked. I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. I mean I've gone out with Stella on a girls day." I offered trying not to seem like a total loser.

"That's not the same thing. You haven't gone on a date since you had her?" he asked. I dropped my head on the table and sighed.

"Yes. I'm a loser. I have no life." I said. I lifted my head up and pointed at Bella. "I have dates with her all the time." I smiled. Don laughed and walked over to me.

"Go out with me?" he asked. I raised my brow at him and smirked.

"Excuse me?" I asked. He flashed me that dimpled grin and kneeled down next to me.

"Go. Out. With. Me." he repeated. I bit my cheek and looked at him.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" I finally asked. He looked at me with the most confident smile and grabbed my hand.

"I guess I am." he said softly. Suddenly, I felt like a school girl. I bit my lip and looked away. It was Don. What was there to be afraid of?

"Okay." I agreed. He smiled and stood up.

"Alright. Get someone to watch Isabella and we'll go out Friday night?" he offered. I stood up and nodded.

"Sounds good." I smiled.

"So is this a date between friends..." he grinned. "Or more?" I blushed a little and looked up at him.

"Whatever you want." I told him simply. He nodded and kissed the top of Bella's head.

"Well, I gotta head off to work. The party's at 2pm right?" he asked. I nodded and walked with him to the door.

"Yes. And I'll call Renee later." I promised. He nodded and opened the door. He was about to leave when he leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"I want it to be more." he whispered and walked out closing the door behind him. I smiled and walked back into the kitchen. I picked Bella up and twirled her around.

"Thank you for waking mommy up!" I squealed and kissed her. I wasn't sure where it had came from but the school girl came out and took over for a few moments.

* * *

This was nuts! There were kids and people everywhere. There were toys scattered all over the park. There were deep hearty laughs from my fellow detectives that clashed with the high pitched squeals of the children running around me. I stood in the middle and observed it all.

"A toddler's birthday party." I mumbled to myself. Stella had gone all out with this. I had my mom here and Don's whole family here. That there was quite a bunch. But Stella also invited the lab and a few officers. I didn't mind. It was in the middle of Central Park so it wasn't confined.

"Stella knows how to throw a party." Don muttered walking up behind me. I sighed and looked up at him.

"She went crazy." I told him. I watched a clown walk by and shivered. "And I told her specifically NOT to get clowns!" I seethed. I hated clowns. With a passion.

"I was wondering how you were taking that." he laughed. "You call Renee yet?" he asked pushing me to a table to sit down.

"Yes, we're meeting tomorrow for lunch." I told him. "I asked what it was about but she didn't say."

"You taking Bella?" he asked munching on a carrot stick.

"She said to come alone." I said dipping a piece of celery in the ranch dressing.

"I wonder why." he muttered. "So about out date?" he grinned. I rolled my eyes.

"What about it?" I asked casually.

"Where do ya wanna go?" he asked eating another carrot.

"Doesn't matter. Surprise me." I laughed. He huffed and moved toward me to make room for a kid reaching for the food.

"You gotta make this hard, don't ya?" he mumbled waiting for the kid to leave. I laughed and stood up. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"It's not hard. You know what I like and what I don't." I reminded him.

"Yeah but I wanna make it nice for ya." he told me. I stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"This is for real? Like a real date? More than friends? Not just a ploy to make me feel good." I asked a little worried. He grabbed my hands and smiled.

"Yes. A real date, you and me. More than friends. That okay?" he asked. I smiled up at him and only wished that my cheeks weren't as red as they were feeling.

"Yeah." I whispered.

* * *

The party went well. After about an hour I called everyone to open presents and eat cake. I'm so happy I did get my own place. I had never seen so many toys in my life. There were clothes 'out the wazoo' as Danny had put it. I was grateful but where in the hell was I supposed to put everything.

"So you having a good time?" I asked walking up to Danny. He glared at me.

"I hate kids." he mumbled. I pouted and hit his arm.

"Fine then. I'll make Don the godfather." I threatened. He smirked and set his cup down.

"Why? He'll end up being more." he teased. I was confused for a minute then blushed.

"He told you." I stated. He nodded and smiled at me.

"Of course. I'm his main man." he said proudly. "I think it's about time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. He sighed and looked at me.

"You and Don. It was bound to happen." he told me. I huffed and looked away.

"It's just a date." I said casually. He laughed and turned to face me.

"It's more than that. And you know it." he said confidently and walked away.

I watched as he walked away. Was it bound to happen? Did everyone really expect it sooner or later? Was it more than just a date? What did Danny know that I didn't? All these questions flooded my brain as I looked for Bella in the crowd. I found her and smiled. It got bigger when I saw whose arms she was in. Don had her. She was smiling and he was throwing her in the air. Anyone else that tired I would flip. But I trusted Don. He'd never hurt her, he'd never hurt me. The feeling washed over me in an instant. Don was everything to me. He was everything to Bella. Even when Jason was alive Don was the one I ran to. The one I cried to. But would it work? Would our work be affected? I shook the thoughts away and walked over.

"Ma!" Bella squealed when she saw me. I smiled and looked at Don. It wasn't until now that I noticed how he looked at me.

"Hey baby girl." I smiled and took her from Don.

"We were flying, weren't we?" he asked Bella. She laughed and hugged my neck. I sighed feeling her this close and looked at Don.

"I wanna go to Gorgio's." I told him. He smiled and I swear he turned a little pink.

"Alright. Gorgio's it is." he nodded. I smiled and bounced Bella. "What the.." he trailed off not wanting to cuss in front of Bella. I looked over my shoulder and frowned.

"What are they doing here? They know we are off." I whined watching my captain walk up with the chief. They nodded and looked around.

"Sorry to barge in." Capt. smiled sadly. I waved my mom over and handed Bella to her.

"Well, say what you have to say and leave. It's my daughter's birthday." I told him impatiently. They sighed and pulled me and Don to the side.

"We need you to come in." they told me I laughed out loud and shook my head.

"That's funny." I told them.

"We got a scene downtown. It's important." he told me. He was serious but this was my baby's party.

"No offense but nothing is more important than this little girl today." Don butted in. I smiled on the inside hearing him say that.

"Exactly. I'm sorry but we can't." I told them. They held out a picture and handed it to me.

"You really need to take this." they urged. I grabbed the picture and felt my heart drop.

"My god. Not again." I whispered as Don took the picture.

* * *

_Before some of you get excited...lol. When Bella calls him Dah, she's not meaning Dad, just the first sound of Don. Say it slowly and you'll hear it...Daaaahhhnnn! Yes, there we go! Or maybe it's my accent! LOL Okay, leaving now!_


	13. Cold Case Pt 2

_Okay so here it is. The first part of the case was short but I wanted it that way. This second case will be longer and blah blah blah. I hope you enjoy it!! Oh and I added a banner for the story...You can look at it on the bio page. I added them a week ago but I messed up on the links but they work now!_

_hope4sall- Thanks! I'm glad you liked both chapters...lol. Yes, everyone has to move on sometime. _

_BrownEyedGirl75- Thanks! I was so hoping everyone would get the name...lol. Caw? That's cute! I have a friend in Indiana and she's gotten some majorly bad weather! I hope everything is okay where you are!!_

_WinchesterWench- Thanks! I'm excited about the date! It will be written in the next chapter or two. I hope I don't disappoint!!_

_Mauveine- Yes, finally he asked her out! It took me long enough, eh? Well, it went through once so no worries. And no worries on not reviewing, I totally understand. As long as you like it...lol. But I'm glad you took the time anyways and I'm happy you like it! Thanks!! :)_

_JaydenBell- I was wondering where you were at...lol. I hate moving, it's so much trouble sometimes!! I'm glad you caught up and that you still like it!!_

* * *

I hated myself right now. I know she wouldn't remember or notice but I still hated to leave her on her birthday. I swore I never would but this was important. My mom as a little disappointed but she understood. Her and Jane said they would take care of the rest of the party. So now while everyone else is with my daughter having fun, I'm walking into another crime scene with Don. I'm not complaining. When I saw the photograph of the scene my heart dropped. It was identical to the last one two years ago. Right then, the cold case wasn't so cold anymore, I hoped.

"Ya know, I could have gotten Jess to come with me. You didn't have to leave her." he told me walking up to the yellow tape around another old building. I smiled at him and walked under the tape.

"Why? So I can hear how horrible you were without me?" I teased. He glared at me. "It's okay. There will be more birthdays." I told him. He nodded and pushed the door open for me.

We walked in and a sense of deja vu came over me. It was set up like the one two years ago. It was barren with only a table and a chair. In the chair was a tiny little girl tied up facing the woman, presumed to be the mother, laying on the table. The woman's throat was gashed open and the girl had a wound in the abdomen. I saw Don walk over to the first responding officer. I felt chills crawl up my spine slowly and walked over to Lindsey who was taking the body temp.

"Hey, you got anything yet?" I asked her. She smiled sadly and stood up.

"Nothing yet. There's about as much evidence as the last one. The child's TOD is about three hours ago." she said looking at the temp.

"Let me guess, the mother's is about four?" I asked cooly. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"Not this time. The mother's is two." she said softly. I felt my heart pound in my chest.

"He killed the child first." I mumbled softly.

"You think it's the same person?" she asked. I shrugged and looked at the bodies.

"Maybe. The case two years ago was pretty quiet so I doubt it's a copycat. But you never know." I mumbled and watched Don walked over.

"Anything helpful?" I asked. He huffed and pointed over his shoulder to the officer.

"I hate rookies. I apologize to everyone I eve bugged when I was a rookie." he whined. I smirked and waited for my answer. "But no. Again no bags, no ID on the vics." he told me.

"So we're exactly where we were at with the last one?" I clarified. Don and Lindsey nodded. "Great." I muttered.

"Look what I found!" Danny exclaimed walking up behind me. I didn't even know he was here.

"Tell me it's good or I'll hit you." I warned. He smirked and looked at Don.

"I though you were the bad cop?" he teased. I rolled my eyes and waved my hands. "Okay, okay." he said holding out a bag with a photo. My hopes rose just a little as I took the bag from him.

"A picture." I said out loud.

"You are a great detective." Don teased. I threw my hands down and glared at him and Danny.

"You two." I said pointing between the two of them. "Need to stop hanging out." I warned. They smirked and I looked at the picture again. I looked it over and saw the two victims smiling. I flipped it over and looked up at Danny.

"The number?" I asked. He took the picture and shrugged.

"Not sure yet. It's not a phone number but it kinda looks like a case number." he told me. I bit my lip and sighed.

"How much you wanna bet it's a child abuse case number?" I asked. They shrugged and I looked at the coroner's walking in to collect the bodies. We all watched as they untied the girl and put her in the black bag.

"How could someone hurt a child?" Lindsey whispered. I sighed and turned to her.

"I don't know but it's our job to catch him and find out." I told her and walked off. Don walked up behind me and we walked to the car.

"Anything on the building?" I asked sitting in the driver's seat. He pouted and got in the passenger seat.

"I wanted to drive." he mumbled. "But no. The city was in the process of tearing it down." he told me. I sighed and started the drive back to the precinct.

"Why do I have the feeling that this will end like the last one?" I asked.

"Because we have about the same amount of evidence and information as we did last time." he reminded me. I nodded and tried to take my mind off the possibility of another cold case.

* * *

I walked up to the lab about a couple hours later. I was getting restless writing out reports and sitting at my desk. I kept fidgeting and Don kept kicking me to stop. So I decided to take a trip up to Mac's office.

"Hey." I said popping my head in his office. He smiled and waved me in. I sat down in front of him and waited for him to get off the phone. He talked for a few more minutes and hung up.

"Sara, how are you?" he asked casually. I smirked and nodded knowingly. He knew I wanted to know about the case but I was going to try to be casual about it.

"Pretty good. I was kinda bummed I had to leave Bella's party but it was understandable." I told him. He nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"Speaking of the tiny one. How is she doing overall? I haven't been by lately and today was cut short." he asked. I perked up a little and smiled.

"She's good. She's talking really well. The doctor said she should be able to say 10 full words and like 5 phrases and she can. And she's jumping now. It's funny to watch her though. She gets one foot off the ground and then jerks the other up." I smiled.

I swear if I didn't notice the smile on his face I would have kept going. I start talking about her and I can't stop myself.

"That's good. I remember Danny telling her to jump a few months ago and her squatting and bouncing up. She's adorable, Sara." he complimented.

"Thank you. She's quite the girl." I smiled.

"See? Feels good to take your mind off of the case." he grinned. I rolled my eyes and leaned back.

"Yeah, it does. Thanks for that." I smiled. He leaned back up and grabbed a file.

"Well, just remember that there are other things than the case. Don't let it take over." he reminded me. "So about the case..." he started.

"I know about as much as we did last time." I told him. He nodded and handed me the file.

"Autopsy report. Same as the last vics. It was confirmed the mother was killed after the child this time. Sid took molds of the wounds and Danny confirmed they were all killed with the same knife. But he did find something else." he smiled. I raised my brows and he handed me a picture.

"A print!" I exclaimed. "A partial but a print none the less." I finished.

"We ran it and came back empty but it does not belong to the vics. So it has to be the killer. Sid pulled it off the mother's stomach." he told me. I nodded and handed the photo back.

"Did you get a name?" I asked. He nodded again and smiled.

"Yes, child abuse. Cheryl Hatton." he told me. I sat up and grinned at him.

"The number on the photo was the case number, right?" I asked. He nodded again and I smiled.

"Yes, ever the detective you are, Sara." he smiled. "I sent the file to Flack downstairs. Her husband's address is in there." he told me. I stood up and walked to the door.

"Thanks, Mac. And you should come by sometime soon. I know Isabella would love to see you." I smiled. He nodded and I closed the door. Back downstairs...

* * *

I was waiting for Sara at the front of the building. Mac had sent me the case file for our victims child abuse case right after she left. I knew to wait a little bit. Mac was getting worried about her letting the case work her over and I knew he'd talk to her. He called me when she was on her way down and I paged her to meet me outside.

"Hey!" she greeted me from behind. I turned and smiled.

"I see Mac said the right thing." I teased. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my keys.

"Yes, now let's go." she smiled and got into the car. I sighed and got into the car.

"So I get to drive back, right? Seeing as it is my car." I asked looking over to her. She smiled and started to car.

"Maybe, maybe not. So the file says Cheryl and her husband are divorced." she stated. I nodded and pulled out the file.

"Yep. Looks like he filed right after she was picked up for abuse. He had custody and she just got back viewing rights." I old her reading the file.

"I'd divorce her too." she mumbled. I chuckled and threw the file down.

"If the killer is like a vengeful killer, why kill the children? I can understand the parents, not that I literally condone it, but why kill the children? It doesn't make sense." I wondered. She shook her head and looked over at me.

"Killing people doesn't make sense at all. Maybe he's one of those people that believe killing the child is saving it or cleansing it." she said. I thought about it and looked over at her.

"Like that one guy a few years ago. His niece was raped and he killed her. Said she was dirty and he had to kill her, to save her." I remembered. She huffed and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I remember him. Said it was the only way God would allow her into heaven. HE said he did her a favor." she sighed. "We got a bunch of looney's."

"That's for damn sure." I mumbled as we pulled into the neighborhood the husband lived in. "When are you meeting Renee?" I asked.

"Tomorrow. So I won't be joining you for lunch." she reminded me. I nodded and looked for the house.

"You going out or is she coming to your place?" I asked. She looked out her window and answered.

"We're going to Reilly's Deli." she mumbled.

"You want back up?" I joked. She looked over and smiled.

"I'll call if I need anything." she carried on.

We found the house and she parked the car. We stepped out and walked up to the door. It was a nice neighborhood. The one with the white picket fences and 2.5 families. I could only wonder what would drive a mother to beat her child with a life like this. Sara knocked on the door and a man about my age answered the door.

"Mr. Hatton?" I asked. He nodded and looked at us worriedly.

"Did you find her?" he asked. I looked over at Sara and back at the man.

"May we come in?" she asked. The man sniffed and allowed us in. We followed him into the living room and took our stances.

Yes, we had a routine. Even in a situation like this we kept up the good cop, bad cop. She sat on the couch in front of the man and I stood up behind her crossing my arms. One thing you will learn quick is that even in a sad situation things could go wrong. You still had to keep your shell on.

"Mr. Hatton, we found your daughter and estranged wife this morning." Sara started. "Can you tell us the last time you saw them?" she asked. The man's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the ground.

"Yesterday. Cheryl got over night visits back about a month ago. She's doing a lot better. She picked Carley up around 7pm and left to go home." he told us.

"Did she call any later that night?" I asked. He looked up at me and shook his head.

"No, she said she'd let Carley call around 9pm to say goodnight but she never did. I thought maybe they got caught up and fell asleep." he said. Sara looked up at me and then back at the man.

"Mr. Hatton, we're going to need Ms. Hatton's address." she told him. He nodded and wrote down her address for us. I left Sara to finished and I walked back outside. I pulled out my phone and called Danny.

"Messer." he answered.

"Hey, Danny. We got the vics address. Grab a uniform and meet us out there." I told him.

"No problem. And tell Sara her mom called." he told me. I felt my chest tighten. Lisa never called Sara at work.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. I heard Danny laugh and loosened up a bit.

"Yeah, everything's fine. She just wanted to see if she needed to pack Bella some stuff for an overnight trip or not." he explained.

"Alright. Well, I'll meet you in a minute." I told him and hung up. I turned to see Sara walking out.

"Danny's meeting us at the vics house. And your mom called. She wants to know if you want her to take Bella for the night." I told her. She nodded and pulled out my keys.

"Yeah. I'll call her in a minute." she mumbled. Before she could walk to the driver's side I snatched the keys from her. She glared at me and opened the passenger side door.

"Ya big buffoon. You could have asked." she told me. I smirked and got into my seat.

"What, like you asked if you could drive it?" I retorted. She rolled her eyes and hid he grin. I started the car and drove off to the next house. Maybe her place would give us something else.


	14. The Bomb

_This is SOO late! And I'm so sorry. But my mom was in the hospital and then I just got sick. So it's been a little hectic. But I promise I'll be back on track again!! So here it is and thanks for all the fantastic reviews!!_

_katydid13- Thanks, I'm glad you like it!! :)_

_MadisonBellows- Thanks! I'm glad your still reading!_

_hope4sall- Yes, I wanted to skip to a little in the future but not too far. Glad you like it though!! _

_BEG75- I know! Not getting the alerts was horrible! I was wondering why no one posted and then they all came in at once! Yes, I was kinda scared doing a case with kids but being that it was with Sara and she's a new mom, I had to. Yes, the date! It will be in the next chapter or the one after that!! :)_

_JaydenBell- Yeah, Ms. Hatton's house helped as you will read below. But only a little. And the teamwork between Sara and Don will only blossom more!! _

_WinchesterWench- Thanks!! Yes, the case gets personal for her. And it is a nasty one. It only gets worse before it gets better. Glad you like it so much!! :)_

_Mauveine- Thanks! I'm trying to get the case written well. Get all the details on the professional and personal points. And i'm so looking forward to the date too! It's been long enough...lol!!_

* * *

"Well, you don't have to be a detective to figure this one out." Danny said as we walked into the victim's apartment. I rolled my eyes and looked around.

The place was trashed. The living room was torn to pieces literally. The couch was ripped open and the cushion's insides were everywhere. I walked into the kitchen and looked around. There were food and papers everywhere. The phone was ripped out the wall and the voice mail tape was smashed.

"Ya think Adam can get something off of that?" I asked Danny. He peered over the counter and scrunched up his face.

"Maybe. I'll bag it in a minute." He said and ducked back down behind the counter. I bit my lip and wandered back to the bedroom. I looked behind me and saw Don talking to the neighbor and the uniform standing at the door. I pushed the door open slowly and walked inside.

"Don!" I yelled. I heard heavy footsteps and felt Don come up behind me. He looked over my shoulder and jabbed me in the back.

"I thought you were hurt." He growled. I smirked and walked over to the bed.

"I think someone put up a fight." I said and looked over the bloody sheets and broken lamp. Danny walked in and nodded.

"Wow, a crime scene that might give me evidence. That's new." He said sarcastically. I smirked again and walked into the bathroom. I noticed the closet door was cracked open.

"I think she made the girl hide in here while she tried to fight him off." I thought out loud. I turned back around and walked back into the bedroom.

"Danny, did the mother have any head wounds? Like blunt force trauma?" I asked him. He looked up and shook his head.

"No, just a bruised jaw. Why?" he asked. I waved him over to look at the lamp.

"There's blood on the end of that lamp. The bathroom door is cracked wide open. The vic had no blunt force trauma wounds. Do ya get where I'm going?" I asked ticking off fingers as I went. He smirked and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"That the vic put up a fight with the perp. She hid her kid in the bathroom and struggled with the bozo. She had no wounds from any kinda large object so she had to have gotten a good shot in with the lamp." He trailed on.

"So the blood on the lamp could very well be from our killer." I finished looking at Don waking up. He smirked and Danny pointed to me.

"She's good." He smiled. Don nodded and patted my shoulder.

"That she is. So how about we bag that lamp and see if she's really good." He stated. Danny set his kit down, took a DNA swab from the blood and bagged the lamp. He processed pretty quickly while me and Don took notes of the scene.

It was amazing how I could go from feeling like it was all a waste, to feeling like I was on the verge of a break through. I only hoped that I was right and that the blood on the lamp belonged to the killer.

* * *

"Danny, what have we got?" I asked walking into the room. He looked up from the evidence table and smiled.

"Well, we got more than last time." He told me. "And Sara, seems to think we got some DNA from the perp." He finished. I smiled and pointed to the table.

"Well, tell me what we got before we put any truth to what Sara thinks." I told him. He nodded and put his glasses back on.

"Well, there was a struggle. There wasn't a lot of blood except the amount on the lamp. We have a shoe print from the bathroom door." He told me.

"So what do you think happened?" I asked. He smirked and sat down.

"Exactly, what Sara thinks. The perp breaks in and goes after the mom and girl. The mom stashes the girl in the bathroom closet and goes back into the bedroom. The perp tried to fight her but the mom kicks it into super mommy mode and whack him with the lamp. She had a bruised jaw so he had to have knocked her out. He goes into the bathroom and kicks the door in and takes the girls." he rattled off.

I nodded and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride hearing that Sara had thought the same. But she was a detective in her own right. She was good at her job, just like anyone else. I had tried to convince her to go back to school and join me on my team but she didn't want to be in the lab. She knew what happened in the lab and knew how all the tests run but she was happy being in the streets. And she was happy having one up on all the other Homicide detectives, she understood how the lab worked and she used it.

"Mac?" Danny asked waving a hand in my face. I shook my head and cleared my throat.

"Well, let's hope that's right. Have you got the results from the swabs?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Kendall is running them now. And Adam has the voice mail tape, it was pretty beat up but he's working his magic." he told me.

"Danny!" a voice behind me yelled. We turned around to see Kendall walking in holding a piece of paper.

"My results?" he asked. She nodded and handed him the paper. "The blood on the lamp does not match the two vics. It also has no match in the database." he said. I sighed and Kendall walked off.

"Great." I mumbled. He looked up and handed me the paper.

"But you won't believe what we did get." he said. I looked at the paper and raised my brows.

"DNA is female?" I asked shocked. I read it again and looked up at Danny.

"The killer is a woman." He stated. I heard a cough and turned to see Sara covering her mouth and holding coffee. She wiped her mouth and stared at us.

"My killer?" she asked. "A female?"

"The blood on the lamp is female but it's not the vics. And there's no hit in the computer." I told her. She set her cup down and stared at the table.

"That must be a big woman." she stated. Danny muffled his laugh knowing she was serious.

"Why do you figure?" I asked. She smirked knowing what I wanted.

"The first mother was caught off guard. She had to have been surprised to get her down or she was just really weak. This mother put up a fight. How did she get her down with one punch to the jaw?" she asked. I nodded and looked over at Danny.

"Did you get the tox screen from the mother?" I asked. He nodded and grabbed a file. He flipped through and pulled out a paper.

"Nothing. She was clean." he said and handed me the paper. I looked back at Sara and bit my cheek.

"She had to have drugged her or something." she told me. I thought for a moment and pointed to Sara.

"Come with me." I told her.

* * *

I loved when Mac did this. He would get an idea and try to prove it. It was his job but he thought of these things out of no where. And now we were on our way to the weight room to prove a point. The point needed to be proved, how a woman could render another woman unconscious so easily.

"So the point of this is to see how the killer could take out a woman to hell bent on protecting her daughter. The perp was already wounded so we need to figure out how she still took out the vic without causing noticeable harm." he told me. He waved over a young officer and told him to stand in front of him.

"When I was a Marine we had to learn all types of moves and techniques. One being pressure points. Anyone can take down a person twice their size using the pressure points."

"Okay so how did our perp take out our vic?" I asked impatiently. He smiled and grabbed the young man's neck. He jabbed two fingers into each side of his neck. I watched as the man fell to the ground. I ran over to him and felt for a pulse.

"How did you do that?" I asked trying to wake the man up.

"Pressure points. Holding the side of their neck cuts of blood flowing to the brain and knocks them out. And it doesn't leave bruises like chocking someone. You get them there and that's it. They're out and you've left no marks." he explained helping the man up.

"Sorry." I apologized as the man walked off. I looked back at Mac and smirked.

"So even after our vic hit the perp all she had to do was get her there and she was out?" I asked. Mac nodded and we walked out of the gym.

"Yes. But it also means that our vic is trained so that's one more heads up." he told me. I nodded and looked at my phone when it started ringing. I frowned and looked at Mac.

"It's Renee. I'll talk to you in a little bit." I said and let him walk off.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Sara, it's Renee."she greeted.

"I know. What's up?" I asked.

"I was in town and thought we could go ahead and meet for lunch?" she asked. I sighed and looked at my watch.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in a few." I told her. She told me where and we hung up. I walked into the pit and looked for Don. I didn't see him anywhere so I walked over and grabbed my note pad. I wrote down a quick note and put it on his desk where he'd see it.

* * *

"Hello?" I answered.

"Sara, it's Renee." she said over the phone. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Can I help you?" I asked.

"I was wondering if we could meet in a few? I'm on that side of town and I figured we could chat now." she asked. I was surprised but looked at my watch.

"Umm sure. Let me tell Don and I'll meet you in a few." I told her. She agreed and we hung up.

I didn't see Don when I walked into the pit so I just left him a little sticky note on his desk telling him I was going to hell. How nice, huh? But it was like that. Like walking into the lion's den not knowing if they are sleeping or awake. Maybe they've eaten maybe they'll eat you. You never know and that's how I felt talking with Renee.

"Renee." I greeted as I walked into the café. She gave me a tiny smile and pointed to the empty chair.

"Sara, how are you?" she asked politely. I had the biggest urge to roll my eyes and go all old fashioned New Yorker on her but I resisted.

"Pretty good. Just taking it one day at a time." I smiled. She nodded and sipped her coffee.

"How's work?" she asked.

"Good. Tough case right now but it's good. Same as always, really." I told her. She nodded again and it was starting to get annoying.

"And the baby?" she asked quietly. I bit my cheek and crossed my arms.

"Isabella is fine." I told her. She looked up and sniffed.

"Isabella Grace, right?" she asked. I nodded. "How old is she?"

"Just turned two." I answered.

"What does she look like?" she asked adding only a tiny amount of excitement in her voice.

"Like me." I said a little to harshly. "I have a picture." I told her. I took out my wallet and passed it over to her. She smiled a little and looked at it.

"She does look like you. I can see Jason's nose though." she smiled and handed it back to me. "She's beautiful."

"Thank you. She's loved too." I told her. She nodded.

"I wouldn't doubt that. Is she in day care?" Renee asked nibbling at her bagel.

"No, my mom and Jane Flack watch her when I'm at work." I sighed getting a little tired of 20 questions. She could have asked all this over the phone.

"Flack? As in Don's mother, Flack?" she asked glaring at me. I glared back and nodded.

"Yes. She's been a big help to me and my mother. We all know my mother is getting up in age and she needs help sometimes." I told her. She nodded and finished her coffee.

"Are you two seeing each other?" she asked. I bit my cheek.

"No, we're not. We're partners." I only half lied. Technically, we weren't together. He had asked me out but that was it, so far.

"Look Renee, I know you didn't call me to ask me a billion questions. You would have asked them over the phone. So why don't you cut the shit and spill." I told her. She glared at me and crossed her arms.

"Fine. I tried to play nice but I can see you don't want that. So here I go." she said snottily.

* * *

I was looking for Sara and calling her but no answer. I finally walked back into the pit and over to my desk. I smirked when I saw her note.

'_Going to hell, Be back later.'_

I knew she meant Renee. Every time she would go visit them with Jason that's what she told me. I couldn't say it better myself honestly. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a bad meeting. We were finally getting a break with this case and she was getting less and less tense. The last thing she needed was a rude meeting from Renee. Well, find out soon enough.

About an hour later I was on the phone with Danny when she came barreling through the pit.

"Uhh Danny, I gotta call you back." I said and hung up quickly. She stormed up to my desk and glared at me.

"Uhh bad day?" I asked. She looked beyond pissed and looked on the verge of a break down.

"That bitch!" she yelled. I jumped up and looked around grabbing her arms.

"Shush." I hissed at her. She pulled away from me and crossed her arms.

"Don't shush me, Donald." she seethed.

"What happened?" I asked. All in a second she went from looking like she would kill someone to looking like a broken child. Tears fell and I pulled her closer to me as I sat on the edge of the desk.

"Renee wants to take Isabella away from me." she sobbed. My eyed bulged and my heart stopped.

_That bitch._


	15. Gettin' Ready

_Ok so here it is. The beginning of the date! I'm taking a break from the case and Renne drama for night of ease for poor Sara and well, for those of you who are waiting...lol. If you want to see what Sara and Don look like on the date go check out my bio page and look at the banner and the second picture for Sara. For soem reaosn they won't work when I put them here._

_I hope ya like it! And again, thanks for all the GREAT reviews!!_

_hope4sall- Yep, that's Renee for you! I actually based here on a real person I know...lol. She's so rude and snotty! Glad you liked it though. There will be more Renee to come, unfortunately. :(_

_BEG75- Yeah, I got a few choice words for her too but I'll leave that for Don to scream later on...HaHa! She's SO got it coming! Glad you liked it!! :)_

_katydid13- Thank you! :)_

_cherryspark101- I think that's what everyone's thinking...lol! _

_JaydenBell- Don't worry, I do 2am rambles too! You are NOT alone! Thanks though! Yeah, I always had it in mind to make Renee do that. It'll be rough but very worth it...;)!_ 'Possibly-more-than-that-ship'_ That's priceless!! LOL and get ready for that date!! Thanks!!_

_WinchesterWench- Oh you better beleive Don and Sara will fight, especially Don. That will be soon, I promise. And hopefully good...lol! Glad you like it!! Now get ready for the date!_

* * *

"What do you mean she wants to take Bella?" I seethed standing up from my desk. Sara looked at me and glared.

"She thinks that I have too much on my plate and that I'm not fit to be a mother. I'm a cop and I'm single. She thinks Bella would be better off with her." she told me through gritted teeth. I saw the looks from around the room and pulled her over to an empty office.

"Did she have papers already? Or has she talked to lawyer?" I asked leaning on the door so no one could come in.

"No, she didn't have papers. But she said she talked to a lawyer and he said it would be easy to do." she huffed. I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair.

"Well, apparently he doesn't know you." I sighed. "Does she actually think you would give her up?" I asked. Sara threw her hands in the air and groaned.

"I don't know! But she said she would do whatever to get her." she informed me. I nodded my head and rubbed my chin.

"Get a lawyer." I told her. I heard her sniff and walked over to her. "What is it?"

"What if she gets her?" she asked shakily. I grabbed her arms and moved her to sit on the edge of the desk.

"She won't. You are in no way an unfit mother." I assured her. She wiped her eyes and looked up at me.

"But she's Renee. She has connections and she might have a good case." she sniffed. I shook my head and looked down at her.

"No. And what case would she have?" I asked.

"I'm a cop. I have wonky hours and I live by myself. What if they think that I don't have time for her? What if they agree with her?" she asked getting panicked. I leaned down to be level with her and smiled.

"You'll be fine. There is no way in hell I'm letting Renee take that girl from you. She'll have to go through me first and well, I've been blown up, so I'd like to see her try." I smirked. She cracked a smile and threw her arms over my shoulders.

"Yeah, she's not tough enough to take you out." she laughed. I hugged her back and kissed her neck. She pulled back and grabbed my face.

"Thank you." she whispered. I shivered feeling her breath on my lips. I looked from her eyes to her lips and back at her before leaning into her. Our lips were nearly touching when the door swung open. I stepped back and cleared my throat.

"What?" I growled looking at the rookie cop at the door. He scratched his neck and walked out without saying a word. I heard giggling behind me and turned to see Sara trying to hold in her laughter. I flashed her a dimpled grin and crossed my arms.

"What's so funny?" I asked amused at the tiny blonde turning red. She held a finger and took deep breaths.

"The are so afraid of you." she said between tiny laughs. "If they only knew what a big baby you actually were." she finished with one big laugh. I bit my lip and nodded my head.

"I'm not a baby. And they have every right to be afraid." I said confidently. She laughed again and stood up. She stopped laughing and fixed my tie.

"Maybe next time." she told me softly and ran a finger over my chin. I nodded and opened the door for her. I watched her walk over to our desk and smiled.

"Yeah, maybe next time." I mumbled to myself.

* * *

I walked through the precinct looking for Stella. I was getting together with her to talk about a possible profile for our killer. Don asked if I wanted to go home but I rejected the offer. I wanted to get a full day's work in and then go home. I asked him not to say anything about what Renee had said and he reluctantly agreed. The fact that Renee had actually asked me about it was confusing but I was hoping after me telling her no that she would drop it. I'd just have to wait and see.

"Stella." I smiled walking into the break room of the lab. She smiled at me and kicked out a chair.

"Glad you're here. Sit." she ordered. I smirked and sat next to her.

"So we have a little bit of info on our killer so I'm hoping we can come up with a profile." she started. I nodded and grabbed a case file.

"Well, we know she's trained in martial arts." I started and Stella smiled.

"Yea, Mac told me about your little lesson and that poor officer." she said. I laughed and nodded.

"That was fun." I smiled. "And we know she's crazy." I offered. Stella laughed and nodded.

"Yes. Now let's get psychological." she said sitting back in the chair. I sighed and tried to remember my couple semesters in psych. class.

"Well, the first case we presumed she made the child watch the mother die. The second she made the mother watch her child die." I said.

"Possible punishment to the mothers. They both had abuse cases, so maybe she wanted the first to watch her child die then make the second suffer, by knowing her child was watching her die." Stella threw out there. I nodded and bit my lip.

"Now we have her DNA and a partial so she has no record." I thought out loud. "Maybe she was abused?" I offered. Stella nodded and scribbled on a note pad.

"That could be a reason." she mumbled.

"But, again, why kill the children?" I wondered. She tapped her pen on her chin and thought. "I read about this one case in college." I started. "The boy was abused all his life and no one believed him. He had a little sister and she got abused too. One day he went off and killed his father and sister. When authorities asked him why, he said he killed his father because he hurt him. They asked why his sister and he said that his father always told them it was their fault. Therefore, she was also a participant so he killed her. He believed that both were in the wrong so he killed them."

"So he killed his father out of revenge and his sister out of spite?" Stella asked. I nodded and sat forward.

"Yeah, he honestly believe that his sister asked to be hurt so he killed her." I sighed. Stella shook her head.

"That's sick." Stella muttered. I nodded and flipped through the file.

"I'm thinking the killer got older and felt she needed to protect herself." I thought.

"That's why she took defense classes. She thought she was weak and got tough. Now she wanted to use her new found toughness and takes it out on others." Stella finished. I shook my head.

"This case is horrible." I sighed. "And she goes after the mothers. So she most likely was abused by her mother." Stella nodded and threw her pen down.

"Go home." she whispered. I looked up at her and smiled.

"I will in a few hours. Give my mom a break." I promised as my phone rang. I smirked and flipped it open.

"Donald." I greeted. Stella snickered across the table and opened her water.

"_Sara Beth."_ Don retorted. _"Are ya mad at me?"_ he asked.

"No, just wanted to make you cringe." I smiled.

"_Well, I did. Happy?"_ he laughed.

"Yep. Now what do you want?" I asked. I heard him huff and move the phone.

"_If you don't wanna talk, just say so. No need to get all nasty on me."_ he told me trying to sound offended.

"I'm sorry, now what do you want?" I asked again.

"_I wanna know if you want to move our date up a day?_" he asked. I could feel his grin through the phone and blushed slightly.

"Now why would I want to do that?" I asked playfully.

"_Because you've had a bad few days and you want to."_ he laughed.

"Confident or cocky?" I wondered out loud. Stella shook her head and mouth cocky.

"_Neither. I just know you can't resist."_ he said seriously. I laughed out loud and nodded my head in agreement at Stella's answer.

"In your dreams. But yes, that would be nice." I smiled.

"_Okay well, Ill pick you up at 7."_ he told me.

"Kay, I'll call my mom or ask Mac to babysit." I smiled. We said our goodbyes and hung up. I tried not to look at Stella but I gave in to her smiling stare.

"What?" I asked innocently. She closed the files and moved them away from us, silently telling me that the case talk was over.

"Time for girl talk." she smiled. I groaned inwardly and tried not to show my girlish smile.

"No need for girl talk." I said quietly. She kicked my leg under the table and I jumped.

"Ow." I grumbled reaching down and rubbing my shin. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"You know what I want to talk about." she smiled and scooted over to me. "You and Don."

"What about me and Don?" I asked dodging again. She glared at me and raised her hand to slap me. I flinched and held up my hands in defense.

"Rumors are flying about you two." she told me and then rolled her eyes. "Granted they've always been flying, but they are on high lately." she finished.

"Wait." I stopped before she said anything else. "How long have these rumors been going on?" I asked. She frowned and looked away.

"Honey, ever since you two started working together." she informed me.

"But I was married for most of that." I said slightly confused.

"And?" she asked. "We could still see something there." she smirked. I sighed and sat back.

"We're going on a date." I confessed.

"A date?" Stella asked.

"Yes, just a date." I clarified.

"As friends or..." she waved her finger for me to finish.

"As more than friends. We've agreed on that." I said quietly. She smiled widely and clapped her hands.

"Who asked who?" she asked excitedly.

"Him, of course." I told her. "I'd never ask. I didn't think he'd want to." I mumbled the last part. Her jaw dropped and she smacked my arm. I yelped and rubbed my arm.

"Gosh, you're abusive." I hissed and moved to the other side of the table.

"And you're an idiot or blind, or both." she exclaimed. "Did you seriously not know he was into you?" she asked.

"No. I was kinda married, then widowed and then pregnant. The last thing on my mind was getting together with Don." I told her seriously. She gave me a sad smile and nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry. But he's always had a thing for you and whether you realized it or not, you had one for him." she told me.

"I did realize it." I confided in her. "I just never acted on it. There were plenty times I could have had something or done something with him but didn't." I confessed.

"Why?" she asked.

"It wasn't the right time. I'd never cheat on Jason anyways." I confessed. "I love what me and Don have. I'd die if I lost it or him. So if we were ever going to have anything, even for just one night, it was going to be sober and right."

"So you wouldn't ruin anything. Or make it awkward." she finished understanding.

"Exactly. We are taking this date thing seriously but not making a big deal of it. If it works out then okay, if not we don't want to mourn over it." I told her. She nodded and smiled.

"I think it'll be okay. So how about you leave and go get ready for your date." she said pulling me up from my chair. I hugged her and walked off to find Mac.

* * *

I ran inside the apartment and laughed to myself. It was pouring outside and I was now soaked. The forecast said it wouldn't rain until later but it was raining cats and dogs now. I had dropped Isabella off at Mac's for the night. He didn't ask where I was going but I'm sure either Stella or Danny ratted me out to him. I shrugged off my jacket and looked at my watch. It read 5:30. I sighed and ran into the bathroom to get ready.

The last thing I wanted to do was be late. Even though it was Don, I still wanted this to be like normal date. We both wanted and needed that. I jumped in the shower and quickly washed myself and my messy, tangled hair. I wrapped a towel around myself and started fixing my hair and make-up. When I was satisfied I looked at my watch again. 6:45. I laughed and ran into my bedroom. I know he expects me to be late but I want to prove him wrong. I'll be waiting for him when he rings that doorbell and he'll suck it up and apologize.

I opened my closet and frowned. I didn't think about this before.

"What to wear?" I mumbled.

Don said to wear something nice. He prefers dresses on me for some reason. I bit my lip and flipped through the right side of my closet. Yes, I'm bad about organizing. My jeans together, my pants together, my shirts are grouped, my skirts are grouped and them my work clothes. And they are separated from pants and shirts. Don and Danny had a ball picking on me saying I had OCD but I just liked to know where my clothes are. Unlike Don, who leaves it to me to hang up his shirts and pants.

I kept looking through my dresses and was about to let out a frustrated scream until I saw it. I remember wearing it once the entire time I've had it. I wore it to the police ball nearly two years ago. Jason got sick at the last minute and Don agreed to be my date. He looked dashingly handsome in his suit and when I walked up next to him in this dress his jaw dropped and so did everyone else's. Needless to say, we were the couple of that night. And ever since then he's loved this dress.

I grabbed dress in thought and laid it on the bed. It was a v-neck dress and tied just under the bust. It had tiny layers and came just above my ankles. I smiled at it on the bed and walked over to grab my under garments to put them on. I slid the dress on and zipped it up in front of the mirror. I smiled and rubbed my hands over it. Even after a baby I still fit into my old clothes. I grabbed a pair of black heels and fastened them up. I looked in the mirror and frowned at my hair.

"Up or down?" I mumbled. Jason liked it up, which was how I had it now, but Don always had a habit of walking by and snatching my hair ties out to see it fall. I smirked and made one last minute change to keep it down. I smiled at the final look and looked down at my watch.

"6:59." I mumbled. I grabbed my hand bag and walked out of the room. Just as I was walking into the living room my door bell rang. I smiled and walked over to the front door and opened it.

_This will be one memorable night_, I thought.


	16. Tiramisu

_I'm so terribly sorry it's so late. My anniversary was the 10th, yay! And it was just a busy week! And I know all of you were waiting for this. I hope I did it well enough. Enjoy!_

_JaydenBell- Yes, Stella doesn't get much time to get in touch with her girly side, like the talk and stuff. And even though there's a bug age gap there, I still wanted to add it in. I'm glad you like it though!! :)_

_WinchesterWench- Sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy this part of the date. As you will read, there's more to come...lol! Thanks!!_

_BEG75- Yes, I figure Don has his wise man moments. Usually it's Sara who has all the answers but sometimes the tables get turned. I'm glad you liked it!! Thanks!! :)_

_hope4sall- Oh lord, again, so sorry it took so long. I was hoping to have this done quick. 'Cause I know I've drug it on...lol. But I hope you enjoy it!! :)_

_kaydid13- Did the links work in the message I sent you? For some reason some would cut off everytime I saved the document._

* * *

I felt like I was in high school again. My hands were shaking, my palms were sweating and my heart was beating a mile a minute. This was far from my first date but it was just as nerve wracking. Danny had come over for moral support while I got ready. He listened intently, sipping his beer as I ranted about how she was out of my league and about how I was going to somehow screw it all up. To which he added, 'down, and all around.' Yeah, he was a good source of support. He repeatedly told me that I was over reacting.

"Don, it's a date." he told me for the billionth time.

"It's more than that." I sighed for the billionth time.

"How?" he asked rubbing his head.

"It's Sara." I told him like he would understand. But he didn't. He gave me this blank stare and pursed his lips.

"I know that. And so do you, you asked her out. So what's the big deal here?" he asked finally. I groaned and plopped down next to him on the sofa.

"I'm wondering if I got myself in over my head. I mean, Danny, come on. It's Sara." I laughed a little. He wasn't amused and nodded.

"Exactly, it's Sara. Do you know what I'd give to have a date with her?" he asked me. I glared at him and he held his hands up. "I wouldn't dare poach but man, it is Sara. She's like as close to perfect as anyone can get." he told me. I sighed and leaned my head back.

"I know she is. Trust me." I said quietly. "And that's what kinda freaks me out."

"Why?" he asked still confused and not getting what I was trying to convey. But hey, I'm a guy. I'm not good at conveying feelings other than lust and hunger, maybe some anger after a game too.

"She's kinda intimidating." I confessed and Danny burst into laughter. "Seriously, she's been married." I ticked off on my finger.

"A bunch of people have been married." he countered. "Doesn't mean jack."

"She had a kid." I ticked off another finger. He pointed at me.

"Don't use Bella as an excuse. You love that child like no other." he glared at me. I nodded and put that finger back down.

"She's more mature than me." I ticked it back up. He laughed and nodded.

"Who isn't?" he asked. I glared and pulled down another finger.

"She's sophisticated." I told him. He rubbed his head and looked over at me.

"Do you even know what that means?" I asked. I sighed and dropped my hands.

"She's everything I'm not. She's classy and smart. She has a child to look after. She doesn't need some schmuck like me dragging her around." I finished. "What if I'm not good enough for her?" Danny set his beer down and looked over at me.

"One, Sara would kill you if she knew you thought of her that way. She does have a child, and she has bene married. She has more responsibility, yes. But it has not changed her. You're not looking at her as Sara, you're seeing her as a mom. She's still Sara, the t-shirt and jeans girl. The funny and overly happy homicide detective that has been through more than any of us can say. But in all that, she still had you. Stop judging her." Danny said. I thought about it and looked at my watch.

"I gotta go." I whispered. He picked up his beer and nodded.

"Just relax. It's just Sara. The same Sara she's always been." he reminded. I smirked and shook his hand.

"Thanks, Danny."

* * *

I walked up to her door and breathed in and out. I kept replaying Danny's words in my head as I gathered up the courage to knock on her door. I knew he was right. It was selfish of me to look at her differently. I had been around her and Bella for two years now. It was just nerves. I took one last breath and knocked on her door. I smirked when I heard her heels hitting the floor. She swung the door open and my smirk grew.

"Wipe it off your face." she whispered blushing. I laughed and kept grinning.

"Why? You look absolutely stunning." I complimented. She looked up at me and smirked.

"If you're not careful those dimples are going to give out and then what reason will I have to go out with you?." she smiled. Yeah, she's still Sara. I nodded and held my hand out.

"You ready?" I asked. She slipped her tiny hand in mine and closed her door. We walked down to my car and I opened her door. She went to laugh but I held a finger up at her.

"I told you, this was a date. I'm doing it right." I told her. She nodded and got into the car.

The ride was mostly silent but not an uncomfortable silence. I couldn't keep my eyes off her though. She knew what she was doing when she got dressed. After Devon I wasn't to thrilled with girls in dresses and nice dinners. Honestly, it scared me. But not to long after Devon came along we had a ball. Jason got sick so I took Sara. She showed up in this red dress. It wasn't as fancy as all the others but it was her. It was simple and elegant. I know, and I will admit it, I drooled over her the whole night. She might have been a married woman but that night I wished I had objected at the wedding. And tonight, she wore that dress. She had her hair down, like I like it. And had on just enough make-up to accentuate her features.

"Quit staring at me." she smiled. I laughed and looked over at her.

"I can't. You know damn well what I think fo that dress on you." I told her and thought about biting my lip for my next comment. "I bet it'd look better off though." She let out a laugh and looked over at me shocked.

"That was so wrong, Donnie." she scolded.

"I can't help it." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"So where are we going?" she asked looking around.

"You'll see." I smiled. She sighed and shook her head. I had these plans set since she agreed to the date. This new restaurant opened up about 6 months ago and ever since she has been wanting to go. It was ranked one of the top in New York and she talked non-stop about it. So I made a call and got us a table at the very nice and very expensive, Atelier.

* * *

At first, I was kind of embarrassed by Don staring at me. I wasn't used to guys staring at me anymore. They saw the kid and instantly turned away. I'm not sure why I thought Don would be any different but it was different. But as the car ride went by I got more comfy with him casting glances my way. I started to loosen up and take it. I mean, it's not like I wasn't looking at him. He looked quiet handsome in that tux. Don was a very laid back man but cleaned up nicely. There was no doubt in why Devon wanted him so bad. She just wanted him this way 24/7. As much as he looked good in the tux and all cleaned up, I'd take him in jeans and shirt any day.

Now if I only knew where we were going. I knew we needed to dress nice but didn't have the slightest idea where he was taking me. And I was even more confused when he parked outside the Ritz Carlton.

"Don, what have you done?" I asked looking over at him. He smirked and got out the car. A bell-boy opened my door and helped me out. Don handed the keys to the valet and waited for me.

"Donald." I asked again. He held his hand out and I took it. We walked arm in arm into the hotel and took a right in the main lobby. We walked down the hall and I stopped in my tracks when I saw the sign.

"Atelier?" I gasped. He nodded and stood in front of me.

"And don't you dare try and back out. I've had this table since I asked you. So just enjoy this and don't think about cost or anything else. Okay?" he warned me. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay." I promised. HE took my arm and walked me into the restaurant. I looked around as he gave his name to the hostess and as we walked to our table. I smiled when he pulled my chair out.

"You surprise me." I declared looking at him across the table.

"Good." I replied and flashed me that trade mark grin. The waiter came over and asked for our wine choice. Don looked over at me and then back at the waiter.

"The best wine ya got." he replied. I smiled and the waiter frowned.

"Well, we got.." the waiter started. I waved my hand and stopped him.

"Just a simple bottle of Chardonnay will do." I told him. He sighed and walked off. Don looked over at me a sheepishly.

"Sorry." he mumbled.

"For what?" I asked. He sighed and looked around.

"I'm not used to this. I feel like an idiot now." he told me laughing a little. I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Did I ever tell you where Jason took me on our first date?" I asked. He thought for a minute and shook his head.

"No." he replied.

"He took me to this sushi place on 34th." I told him. He nearly burst into laughter.

"Sushi? You don't eat seafood. And you don't eat anything that isn't burnt." he laughed lightly. I smiled and nodded.

"Exactly. He knew I didn't like seafood or anything not burnt, as you say." I laughed. "But he still took me there knowing I wouldn't eat anything there." I told him. He shook his head and paused for a minute before speaking.

"Was there a point or am I really that bad at listening?" he asked. I laughed and nodded.

"The point is that he stayed in his comfort zone even though it was out of mine. You went out of yours to make this special. You went out of your way and I thank you for that." I smiled. He nodded and finally smiled.

"Well, it's my pleasure." he smiled. We made small talk over dinner, trying to avoid case talk and Renee talk. We managed but slipped up once on the case talk. And about two bottles of wine later it was time for dessert.

"This looks really good." I said looking at the tiramisu in front of me. We only ordered one plate knowing that more would be too much. "And full of caffeine." I laughed.

"But so good." he said licking his lips. I smiled and grabbed my fork. I dug out a tiny corner piece and held it over the table. Don smirked and leaned over the table. He watched me as he covered the fork with his lips and slid back. I dropped my hand and watched as his eyes rolled back.

"Umm better than sex." he moaned. He looked at me and I raised my brow.

"I doubt that." I said softly and dipped my own piece. He smirked and leaned back. We finished dessert taking turns feeding one another and of course a crude comment about another 'this is better than sex' comment. We made our way back to the house after arguing who was less intoxicated.

"You had more than me." I told him. He shook his head and took his keys from me. I reached for them again and he held them up above his head.

"You had more than me. So let me drive." he told me. He opened my door and I got in sighing. I saw him smirk as he walked over to his side of the car and got in.

"I could have drove." I told him. He looked over at me and sighed.

"Do you wanna drive?" he asked. I glared at him and looked back out the window.

"No, just drive. I just wanted to let you know, I could have drove." I told him again. He laughed softly and nodded. We drove the rest of the way to my house and I stumbled up my steps to my apartment. I opened the door and sighed.

"Ahh home sweet, home." I mumbled. I looked back at Don who was still standing at my door. "Are you going to come in?" I asked a little confused. He smirked and walked in.

"I was waiting for an invitation." he told me. I rolled my eyes and set my bag down.

"I didn't know I had to." I said pulling my heels of my aching feet. I threw them in the corner and turned to Don. "Wanna beer?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" he said walking after me into the kitchen. I pulled out two beers from the fridge and passed one to Don. I hopped up onto the counter and took a long sip.

"I've never had tiramitzi." Don smiled. I laughed out loud and covered my mouth to cover my cough.

"Tiramisu." I corrected. He glared at me and walked over to me.

"Sorry, miss politically correct." he teased. I held my finger up and swallowed my beer.

"Grammatically correct. We're not talking politics or free speech." I laughed. He glared at me again and set his beer down.

"You're pushing it." he warned. I set mine next to his and crossed my arms.

"So what?" I challenged. I watched as his eyes got a sparkle and as a smirk grew on his face. I stayed still with only a smile on my face as he leaned in.

And finally with no interruptions, we got our kiss.


	17. The Morning After

_Okay so I really hope you like this one. I know it took a little longer than what I said last time...lol. But I tried. And what I'm doing is what I've done to my other stories. I'm not posting a chapter until the folloing is done. So to catch up I had to write two chapters this time. But chapter 18 is done and when I get 19 done, I'll post 18. Get it? I hopw so. I do it with my Crash & Burn story and now I'md doing it here and wiht my other story. But I hope you like this. The case has come into light again and I'm going to be focusing on that for now. Now for my lovely reviwers!_

_BEG75- Thanks! Yes, I do think he fills those jeans out nicely too. And it is hard for women to find a man who doesn't run when hearing the word 'child.' My sister and sister-in-;aw both are single and have two kids and it's rough on them. I'm glad you liked it though. I wanted Don to be nervous. I mean, he did wait a long time for this and now it's here. :)_

_hope4sall- Thanks! I agve Stella & Sara a girly moment so why not give Danny & Don a guy moment! I thought it'd be nice to add that in there. Glad you liked it though! :)_

_WenchesterWench- Thanks! Yes, I wish it was me on that date...lol. I tried to picture it in my head and just wrote it out...lol! :)_

_JaydenBell- HaHa...Yes, I had more to write after that kiss...lol. Again, I had to have Danny there, and yes, we need the pestering Danny every now and then! I'll explain the almost drunkeness in the first para or two. But you're right they weren't totally drunk. Thanks again! :)_

* * *

I wasn't exactly sure how long I had waited for this moment, the chance to feel her soft lips against mine but I knew it was a while. It was almost like the world was purposely making us wait. It wasn't that it knew we wouldn't be good together, because we were at our best with one another. It was like it was treating us like a fine wine. It made us wait and still until it knew the moment when we'd be the sweetest. And now, tonight we were our sweetest.

I pressed my lips to hers and she responded fully. It wasn't a drunken kiss, it was a kiss that needed a push to get the courage to actually go through with it. Her tiny hands entangled my hair as I pulled her as close as I could. I wanted to be near her, to make up for all the time I had to be away from her. The times I wanted to be the one kissing her and being there for her. The times that Jason took advantage of, something I would never and could never do. His death was the reminder that you can't take things like this for granted. Life can be taken away as quick as it is given. Time is precious, I know that now.

I moved my lips down her jaw and to her neck. She gasped quietly and leaned her head back, her hands still tightly wrapped up in my hair. I shivered when she moved them down to the front of my chest and started undoing the buttons on my shirt. I leaned back just enough to give her enough room and to looked at her. Her eyes were sparkling and her hair was a tad bit frazzled now. She caught my gaze and smiled. I leaned back down to capture her lips again and she dropped my buttons. She wrapped her legs around me when I picked her up.

I carried her back to the bedroom stopping every few feet or so to let her finished taking my button shirt off and my under shirt. By the time we were in her room the only thing I had on was my pants. I got to the bed and sat down on the edge. She slowly moved off my lap and stood in front of me. Like a dream, she turned around and pulled her hair up. I looked at her in the mirror and stood up behind her. My fingers found the zipper of her dress and slowly pulled it down. She dropped her hair and let me push the straps off her shoulders.

I watched the tiny red dress that had made me so completely crazy for her simply fall off her silky skin until she stood in front of me in her under garments. My hands skimmed her shoulder blade and to her neck. I felt her skin shiver underneath my touch and leaned down to kiss the back of her neck. She let out a long content sigh and raised her hands above her head to wrap around my neck. I let my hands fall down her sides and let one fall on her stomach. I pulled her back against me as I trailed my kissed across her back and neck.

"Donnie…" she sighed. Her voice sent shivers through my spine. I sat back on the bed and turned her around. I pulled her onto my lap again and kissed her chest, just above her bra. I pulled her to my tightly when I rolled us over so I was on top this time. I leaned in for another kiss and lost myself. It's was like everything flowed at that moment. Out lips moving together soft and sweet. Our tongues fighting gently. I didn't want to stop, I didn't want my lips to leaves hers. It just felt right.

She whined a little when I finally pulled back but stopped when I started on my pants. I kicked them off the side of the bed and started on her bra. I admit, I had a little trouble. Luckily, both of us were just ready to get to what we'd been waiting for, that no smart ass comments came from her mouth or mine. I finally got it un hooked and she shrugged it off. I tried not to smirk when I looked down at her lace panties. I looked up at her while taking them off and she did something I never thought I'd see, she blushed.

All I could do was marvel her body as she laid there in front of me. Her soft tanned skin, with her caramel wavy hair falling on her shoulders, it was better than any dream or fantasy. Her petite frame far from what it had been before she got pregnant. Granted she was still small enough to break in half but her hips were more womanly and her chest fuller. At first, she didn't like it but she her clothes fit better and more sexy, she shut up.

I was her cheeks getting redder and took the time to remove my boxers. I settled myself between her legs and leaned down to her lips again. I let one hand find its way to where I was going to be any minute and rub over her center. She gasped into my mouth and I let one finger venture into her opening. She moved away from my kiss and leaned her head back. Her lips parted enough to let out a ragged breath and her fingers massaging my forearms, watching her face contort with pleasure. I couldn't take it anymore.

I finally felt the anticipation build up in my stomach as I rubbed against her. She shifted under me and I entered her. She sucked in a sharp breath and bit her lip. I swallowed a growl in my throat and grabbed her hips. I moved slowly trying to cherish every moment having her around me in the most intimate way. I wasn't sure when the last time I had wanted to make love to a woman but it had been a while. And as much built up sexual tension I had inside me all I wanted to do was take my time, try and make it last forever. Get the feeling of this incase it never happened again.

My thoughts were broken by her soft gasps. I looked down at her as her hands gripped my arms. I watched her chest rise and fall quickly as I slowly pushed her over the edge. I was mesmerized when the long and hard orgasm took her over. Her body shuddered under mine, she tightened even more around me pulling me in further and over the edge as she finished. I laid my head on her chest and gently laid on top of her. She wrapped her hands around me and played with my hair.

We laid there for the longest time, not talking, not moving. For a minute I was afraid it was going to be awkward. That we had just done something way too soon or done something we shouldn't have at all. That was what was running through my mind until I slowly leaned up and looked at her. I wanted her all over again as she smiled up at me. The smile that melted every guys heart, the lips, curved, that I desperately needed against mine again. But I didn't have to do it, she did. Her kiss was soft and sweet, perfect.

"Thank you." she whispered when she pulled back. I stole another kiss and smiled down at her.

"For?" I asked.

"Tonight. It was amazing, Don." she smiled again. I kissed her one last time before laying next to her and pulling her to me.

* * *

I woke up the next morning and was amazed that I wasn't cold. I opened my eyes and smiled, there was the reason. Don had both strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I sighed and laid my head back down.

Last night, was more than I expected. A lot more. I was in shock that he had managed to get reservations. That place had been the place to eat for months now. But Don was known to know everyone and anyone. Then, later that night…

It wasn't like I expected. I saw Don as the let's have this rough sex and get it over with. But I was wrong. He was the most attentive man I had even been with. He made sure to touch every inch of skin he uncovered, placing kisses everywhere. He made slow love to me last night. He took his time, he made the most of every minute and made it last, not only in time but in memory. I could still feel his lips on my skin, his skin under my fingers. Just the thought made me let a tiny moan.

"Morning." he whispered groggily. I bit my lip.

"Did I wake you?" I asked and turned over. The first thing I saw was those baby blues. I smiled and ran a finger down his jaw. I think I could get used to him being the first thing I see in the morning.

'Shut up, Sara. It was one date.' said the tiny voice in my head.

"No. How long have you been awake?" he asked rubbing his face with one hand, the other still wrapped around me.

"A few minutes." I whispered. He nodded and laid his other hand across my waist. I leaned up and placed a tiny kiss on his lips. He let one hand travel up my neck.

"I was praying this wouldn't be awkward." he confessed.

"Me too." I smiled. He flashed those dimples and I kissed him again, this time longer. I giggled as he rolled me over on top of him but never broke the kiss. My hair covered our faces as I kissed him. Enjoying the feel of his lips and tongue again. His hands were moving up the back of my shirt when the silence was broken.

"Mother fucker!" he groaned listening to work beckoning through out phones. I slowly got off of him and walking over to my purse. I looked back at Don sitting on the edge of the bed, clad only in boxer and grumbling to Capt. about calling him. I laughed and flipped mine open.

"Hey, Mac." I greeted cheerfully. I heard him chuckle and a door close.

"I guess Don did good, huh?" he asked. I blushed a little and looked over at the still half naked and half asleep man, now looking at me.

"Yes, he did." I smiled.

"As long as you had a good time." he laughed. I nodded and gave Don a weary look as he walked over to me.

"Now, I just dropped Bella off at your mom's. I'm heading to work." he told me while don wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck.

"Ok, that's fine." I said quietly. I heard Don snicker and elbowed him lightly.

"Well, I guess I'll see ya soon. Bye, Sara.' Mac said and hung up. I dropped my phone back into my purse and turned to Don. He picked me up and walked me over to the bed.

"Don, we gotta go to work." I laughed as he started on my clothes.

"We will. I just need some motivation first." he grinned.

* * *

After Don's 'motivation' and a short call to my mom, we were walking into the pit. Two guys were out sick so me and Don had to pick up the slack until they were better. Sometimes it sucked being one of the best.

"Don't think about sitting." Mac said walking over to us. I was literally half way to my seat, my bottom just hovering a few inches.

"Why not?" Don whined. I smirked and looked to Mac.

"Another scene." he said solemnly. I exchanged a look with Don and grabbed my gun and badge.

"Well, let's go." I mumbled and walked out after Don.

We pulled to yet another run down building and pushed our way inside. The first responding was looking a little pale and I walked over as Don walked with Mac inside.

"Officer Bradwell." I greeted as he gave me a shaky smile. "Are you alright?" I asked softly. He looked away and then looked back at me.

"No, this is crazy. That scene is horrifying." he told me honestly. I nodded and looked at the entrance to the scene. I was an angry Don walk out and wave me over.

"I'll get your statement later, alright? Just relax." I told him and walked off. I walked up to Don and was about to walk inside when he stopped me.

"Mac thinks you should sit this one out." he told me. I scoffed and glared at him.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's not pretty, Bear." he told me. I crossed my arms.

"I've seen the unpretty. This is our case, I'm not leaving." I told him. He nodded and moved his arm away. He walked beside me into the room and I stopped. Don placed a comforting hand on my back as I looked at the scene in front of me.

Everything was the same, again. The mother was laying on the table, her throat slit and in front of her were the chairs. Yes, this time there was two chairs, that means two children. I moved closer to see the victims in the chair and covered my mouth. It was a girl and a boy. Both looked to be about eight and both with the 'trademark' stab wound in their abdomen. I looked over to Don and he nodded his head to another room. I followed him into the room and looked at the long wall in front of me.

"You've got to be kidding me?" I whispered to Don as I looked at the, what looked to be blood, spread onto the wall in a tiny but well heard message.


	18. A Big Kiss

_Ok so here it is! Thanks for all the reviews! I have the next chapter done and it took me a minute to do...lol. I'm not feeling my best so I forced myself to sit and write it so I could go ahead and post this one! So enjoy!_

_BEG75- HaHa...Damn work! I'm glad you liked it. I was afraid about writing it! I read yours and I'm like...'Shower, now.' But I wanted it to be kinda sweet for the first time...lol. Thanks a bunch though! I'm so happy you like this!_

_hope4sall- Thanks! I don't know why I started in Don's POV...lol. But it just kinda came out. Being that he was the one who waited for Sara, I wanted to show his side of things this time._

_WenchesterWench- Thanks, hon! I'm glad you liked it! I try hard, I really do...lol. Yes, the case is back. And bigger than ever._

_JaydenBell- Thanks! Yeah, I figured a phone call would just make Don's day! I'm glad you like it and hopefully you'll like the crime scene and all that follows. Thanks again!! :)_

* * *

"I wish I was." Don whispered. I took a few steps closer to look at the literal writing on the call.

_'Il mio tempo è ora.'_

Written in big, literal hand painted letters.

"Is that blood?" I asked looking back at Don. He nodded and walked up beside me.

"Stella tested it. Not sure whose it is but it's blood." he told me.

"What does it say?" Don asked.

"My time is now." I read to him. "It's Italian. You should know that." I smirked.

"But I don't. That's why I got you." he smiled back. I heard clinking behind me and I turned to see the curly haired CSI walking up.

"Hey, glad you're here. I was getting antsy with all this testosterone." she said trying to lighten the mood. I gave her a small smile.

"I think she's had enough too, Stella." Don said walking away. I turned a light shade of pink and Stella let her jaw drop.

"You didn't?" she asked smiling. I bit my lip and looked away. "You did, you little wench." she said a little too loud.

"Stell!" I laughed. She grinned and set her kit down.

"We're so having a girl's night out soon." she told me. I looked around the room and sighed.

"Just another night out would be nice after this." I told her. She gave me a sad smile and snapped on her gloves.

"Yeah. And now the plot thickens." she said pointing to the wall.

"Doesn't it always?" I asked sarcastically as she took some more samples from the note.

* * *

"Don, did you get anything?" I asked walking back into the pit. He was sitting at the desk and holding a folder. He looked up and scrunched up his face.

"Ehh kinda." she responded. I laughed and grabbed my chair. I looked around before sitting and don noticed.

"What?" he asked. I smiled and sat down.

"I was looking for Mac." I told him. He chuckled and shook his head.

"So as if we didn't already know this. The three vics are mother and kids. The mother is 32 y/o Marsha Reynolds. Her kids, twins, are Stephanie and Michael. Mother's TOD is two hours before theirs." he told me. I nodded and sat back in my seat.

"The father?" I asked. He huffed and threw the file at me. I gave him a confused glance and looked down at the file. My eyes widened at what I read.

"Fucked up, huh?" he asked. I looked at him over the file and set it down.

"So the father wasn't the saint this time?" I asked.

"Nope, he was the abuser. Beat the living shit outta his wife and the kids. Made her loose one baby when she was nearly due. He was sent to prison and killed there. Coroner said he was sexually assaulted and so much more. The lovely life at Riker's." he told me with a slight smile. He didn't condone murder in any fashion but at the same time he believed in karma. He wasn't too worried about rapists and abusers, he knew they would get what they gave. And that didn't bother him in the least.

"Did she have a record?" I asked.

"Nope, nothing. She got custody of the kids after he got charged." he told me. I sighed and looked over the file again.

"Where were they taken from?" I asked.

"The house was fine, looks like he picked them up from their car or something. I'm waiting for on OnStar reports for her SUV." he told me. I nodded again and threw the file down.

"Has Mac called?" I asked. He shook his head and I stood up.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"The lab." I said casually.

"Mac said he'd call." he told me. I smirked and crossed my arms.

"Yes, but I can't wait. You coming or not?" I asked him. He sighed and stood up and followed me to the elevators.

"You're like a mini-lab rat." he mumbled and pushed the up button.

* * *

"I figured you'd be up here soon." Mac said as soon as I walked into the meeting room. I smiled and pulled out a seat next to Stella.

"A you know me too well." I smiled. "So fill me in, please." I asked sweetly. Stella chuckled and sat back.

"So the TOD of the mother was 14 hours ago, the kids were 12. The father is dead, he was the abuser. The mom was clean. Her house was clear and we're waiting for the OnStar reports from your side. The DNA on the wall was a mix between all the vics. Yes, she used their blood. No other trace or DNA, again. So hopefully, we'll get something after we find out where they were taken from." she told in on long breath. Don gaped at her and I smiled.

"Okay, so I just need to call and harass the people at OnStar." I laughed.

"Again." Don added. I glared at him and Mac laughed.

"You've already bugged them today?" he asked. I kept glaring at Don but shook my head.

"No, we've had previous encounters." I told him. Stella set her file down and smiled.

"Do tell more." she asked. I shook my head but Don ran behind me and covered my mouth.

"We're were going to Coney Island after Bella's first birthday and the car shut off. She pressed the little button for OnStar an asked them what was wrong. They told her everything looked okay and Sara, here, started arguing with them. Her and the lady started throwing nasty words at each other until the lady finally hung up on her. Sara called back and the lady asked if she was willing to listen." Don recanted the old story.

"And did she?" Mac asked amused.

"Oh yes, she listened while the lady told her that she forgot to put gas in the car." he grinned. Stella and Mac burst into laughter and I pried Don's hand off my mouth.

"It was an accident. I was tired and aggravated. So I got a tad outta hand." I defended.

"A tad? You told her she didn't need to be an over the system operate because she sounded like a frog. And they cancelled you as a customer because you were mean." Don laughed. I glared at him and waited for the laughter to die down.

"Yeah, maybe you should hold off on calling OnStar." Stella laughed. I bit my lip and taped my foot as they all had their laughs at me expense. The joys of working with your friends.

"Who's the jokester?" Danny asked walking in. I jumped up and pointed at him.

"No one." I snapped before anyone could retell the story. He looked at me shocked and is aw he had papers in his hands. "What's that?" I asked politely.

"The OnStar report." he said tilting his head. I waited for him to hand them to me but instead all I got from him was a challenging stare.

"Can I see them?" I asked softly knowing I had put myself into the hole with him. He wasn't really mad but he was going to use this chance to make me beg.

"Why should I?" he challenged. "I just simply walked into the room and you went all Zena Warrior Princess on me." he smirked.

"Well, I'll go worse if you don't give them here, Daniel." I smirked. He raised a brow and looked at me through his glasses. Slowly, he handed me the papers but snatched them back at the last second.

"What if I like having you go all Zena on me?" he joked. I glared at him and took the papers from him. I looked them over as a young rookie walked into the room.

"Detective Flack?" he asked. I looked back at the paper as Don took the ones from the rookie. He looked at me and I looked at him.

"OnStar lost contact late last night. Said they called but a woman said she was alright. So they didn't send anyone." I told him.

"They found it at a garage, wrecked." he told me. "Let's go."

* * *

Don and I pulled up next to Stella and looked around the old garage. There were about a hundred broken and torn up cars sitting everywhere. Parts were scattered everywhere making it impossible to look anywhere but at your feet so you wouldn't fall.

"How did they know the car was here?" I asked Don. He looked around and kicked a stray steering wheel.

"Someone called in seeing a truck towing it in here. The operator said it'd be in the first two rows." he told me. I sighed and followed him and Stella too look for the SUV. It was a dark blue 2004 Tahoe.

"Sara!" Stella yelled from the other side of the row of cars. I squeezed in between a few cars and walked over to her. Don let out a big sigh when he saw the SUV.

"Thank god. I wasn't getting tired of looking." he mumbled. I smirked at him and patted his arm.

"Poor baby."

"Watch it." he warned. I watched as Stella popped the door open and unlocked the rest for us. She threw me a pair of gloves and did the same for Don.

"Just incase." she smiled. "Now yell if you see anything." she told us. I got the front seats, Stella got the backseats and Don took the very back. I looked over the driver seat and sighed.

"Nothing?" Don yelled from the back.

"Not yet." I mumbled.

"Don't worry. I'm looking after both of you. Maybe I can see something you don't." Stella assured me. I still sighed and moved over to the passenger's side. I kneeled beside the seat and squinted.

"What color hair did the vics have?" I asked.

"Blonde." Stella called out. "Why?"

"I got a dark brown hair here. Long, like a woman's." I told her. She moved from the backseat and I pointed to it. She smiled and picked it up with the tweezers and put it in a bag.

"We'll check it with the DNA we have." she told me. I nodded and stood up.

"Do you still have the OnStar report?" I asked Don. He pulled out the paper from his inside pocket and handed it to me.

"It says she stopped at a gas station before she crashed. Not even a few miles before the crash." I said out loud. Don leaned on the car and stared at me.

"Look at the driver's floorboard." I told them. "There's loads of dirt from her sitting there. The passenger seat has barely any. The kids rode in the back. There's a different colored hair on the seat with fresh dirt. She stopped at a gas station…" I trialed. "Are ya catching my drift?"

"You think the vic gave her a ride?" Don asked.

"If the hair matches, then yeah. The killer caught her at the store and asked for a ride." I told them. Stella smiled and walked between us.

"I think she's giving you a run for your money, Flack." she teased.

"What money? I spent it all on her last night, anyways." he smirked. I gave him a playful glare and Stella laughed.

"Well, let's get finished here and we'll go see if you're right." Stella smiled. And about 20 minutes later, and no more than my hair, we were leaving nearly empty handed. Only hoping that the hair I found was a match so we could have one more lead to follow.

* * *

"Ya know it freaks me out when you do that?" Adam said nervously.

"What?" I asked looking over his shoulder. I had been there since we got back and I was impatiently waiting for the results of the DNA on the hair.

"That." he pointed to my face. "Looking over my shoulder. I pouted a little and backed off, taking the seat next to him. "And don't just sit there and stare at me, either. It's freaky too." he added. I smirked and started to play with my nails.

Adam had worked here for a little while now. He was big into the electronics and stuff. It made his day when we brought him a vide to look at or anything of that sort. He was like a big kid and I liked that. He had even broken Mac into a few smiles since he had gotten here. He brought that youthful, happy about my job vibe that we needed. And well, honestly, he was just too cute. He was so shy and bashful at times, it was almost too much. So it didn't surprise me when I got word of him hooking up with Kendall. She was like the bad girl of the lab and she probably saw him as a guy to take advantage of. I didn't like her. She tried many a times to get with Don. Luckily, he declined. But me and Adam got along, he as kinda the little brother I never had.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the printer going off. I was about to jump over there but he shot a hand up. I sighed and waited for him to grab it, it was after all, his job. I sat there and waited for him to either read me the results or hand it to me.

"Well, Detective…" he started. I sat up a little and he smirked. "It's your lucky day. The hair on the seat matches the DNA of our killer." he told me smiling. I squealed and shot up from my seat. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laughed.

"Adam, you're amazing. I love you!" I screamed and planted a big kiss on his lips. He turned a bright shade of red and rubbed his ear.

"Uhh thanks." he mumbled. I hugged him again and ran out the room.

Finally, another lead. We had the killer in the car, we had her hair color, from the dirt on the floor we had her shoe size. And if she did get picked up at the store, we had cameras and we could hopefully point her out.


	19. Major Bust

_Sorry it took so long! I ended up writing one of my other stories out completely and I started another one so I got a little behind. But I wantd to post the rest of the finished one. But I am back on track and I wil update on time for now on! _

_BEG75 - Peanut! I had to add Adam in! I love him! He's too cute. And I'm Irish so it's a thing...lol! I'm glad I held your attention! Hopefully, I can keep up! Thanks, again!_

_hope4sall - Yes, you are so getting your answers soon. I decided it was time for the case to show up! Thanks!_

_WenchesterWench - Thanks! Everyone loved the Adam scene! I did to, though. I love me some Adam. He's too adorable! Thanks! :)_

_JaydenBell - Yes, and he's is too cute when he blushes, from head to toe!! But thanks! Yes, big explosion coming up, not literally! But it's coming. :)_

_MadisonBellows - Thanks! Again, everyone loved Adam. I might have to add him on here more...lol. Thanks though! :)_

* * *

We were on our way to the gas station where our latest vic had stopped to fill up. We thought she might have picked up her killer there instead of off the side of the road. We were hoping that they had video cameras and if so, that they would give us something to work with. But this feeling in the pit of my stomach told me it was going to be another dead end.

"I'm going to be pissed if this turns out bad." I mumbled as we got out the patrol car. Sara sent me a smile over the hood and closed her door.

"Grumpy much?" she winked. I smirked and locked the car.

"No, I had a damn good morning, and night. Thank you very much." I told her honestly.

"Your welcome." she smiled and started towards the door of the store. We walking in and the clerk perked his head up at the sound of the bells.

"Can I help you?" he asked as we walked up to the counter. We flashed our badges and he stood up straight.

"Yes, we're investigating a murder and we believe our suspects and victim might have stopped here. Do you happen to have any cameras for the area surrounding the building?" I asked.

"Yes, we have them all over the outside. We've been robbed too many times. We got the newest ones, the ones that you can't see. We've been robbed since then, they didn't even know." he smiled.

"Then we might be in luck." Sara whispered. "Could you show us the way to your office? We'll need the tapes of last night and early this morning." she asked. He nodded and we followed him back to his office. Once we had the tapes, we sped back to the lab. Adam was going to have a good time.

"Adam!" Sara called out as we stepped out the elevator. The young lab tech turned around and smiled when she held the bag of tapes up.

"You always have treats for me." he smiled, though it faltered when he looked over at me. Sara had scolded me on many occasions for being mean or purposely intimidating to him but I had my reasons. I saw the way he looked at her. Guys are too easily led on and turned on.

"Well, let's see what you can do." I said, trying to be nice. He shifted on his heels and then walked off. Sara shot me a glare and slowly started following him.

"That was you being nice?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders and she huffed.

And about two hours later, she was the one being mean.

"That's it!" she shrieked at the screen. I suppressed a laughed and Adam sighed.

"Yeah, we've been through every angel. Zoomed in on every piece of anything to try and get a glimpse at her. She's good." Adam said.

"She's a murdered!" Sara yelled throwing my hands in the air. We had seen her but only her head full of hair. We saw her chat up our vic and get into the car. She didn't look to odd. She was dressed well and her hair looked neat, so she didn't look like she came from the streets but we still couldn't get a good look at her face.

"We'll get her." I whispered in her ear, laying my hands on her shoulders. I felt her let out a big breath and laid a tiny hand on Adam's shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to flip." she whispered. He nodded and bagged the tapes up. I turned to walk out with her and pulled her over to a small hallway. She was about to say something when I pulled her to my chest. She wrapped her arms around me and sighed. All day I had waited to talk to her and now seemed like the time.

Not.

My phone ringing cut in front of the words that were about to spill out. I sighed and answered it.

"Capt wants us." I mumbled looking down at the tiny blonder still clinging to my torso. She nodded and slowly let me go.

* * *

Today had been a major bust. Just as we thought we were getting closer to solving the case and maybe getting this person, we fail. Jus like every other case. We get one up than last time and it only leads to another dead end. I'm starting to think that we might not be able to catch this person. That it's one of those cases that you watch in twenty years and the killer just simply stopped killing or the kind that spawns a movie about how hard the NYPD tried but failed, again. That's just what I needed, a movie about how I failed at putting a crazy murderer behind bars. That would be a great legacy to pass onto Isabella.

I sighed at that thought. It felt like I hadn't seen her in days when I t had only been a full day. I dropped her at Mac before my date and he dropped her at my mom's this morning. I called to talk to her but she was sleeping. That put a whole new damper on things. But know it was free time. I knew I wouldn't be called in until after tomorrow. Captain had roughly ordered me and Don to go home, separately, and get some rest. If anything came up, he would call but we were running on empty. So I was taking that to my advantage and going home after I picked Bella up from my mom's.

But it seemed that the universe was against me today. I let out a low growl when I pulled into my mom's driveway, right next to Renee's car. I slammed my door and walked into my mom's house.

"Ma?!" I yelled from the door. I set my purse down on the side table when I heard tiny footsteps. Her blonde hair swung around her face as she ran over to me. I scooped her up, totally forgetting about today and the act that Renee was near, and hugged her with all my might.

"Hey, baby girl." I whispered into her neck. I tried to pull back to look at her but she held her grip on my neck. "Did ya miss me? I missed you!" I gushed rubbing her back and walking into the living room. My good mood fell when I saw Renee sitting across from my mother. My mom sent me a tired look and Renee sent me one of hate.

"Renee, what are you doing here?" I asked finally prying the little girl's hands off my neck.

"Hello, to you too, Sara Beth." she said grimly. I said nothing, only waiting for her to answer my question. "She's even more beautiful in person." she spoke again, pointing to the toddler on my hip.

"What are you doing here, Renee?" I asked again. Her face changed and so did her voice.

"No hello, no thank you. Nothing?" she asked.

"I already asked you a question. I asked it twice. Now, Renee, what are you doing here?" I growled. She stood up straight and smirked.

"I came to tell your mother about my plans. And to drop these off." she said throwing a file of papers on my mom's glass coffee table. I didn't look at them as she did. Part of me knew what they were and I wasn't letting her see me affected by it. There was no way she was getting my child.

"Well, you dropped them off and I'm pretty sure what you haven't told my mom, I can. So you can be leaving now." I told her moving out of the doorway. She huffed and walked over to me.

"I'll see you soon, Sara." she said and then looked to Bella. "Bye bye, little girl." she cooed and tried to pinch her cheek. I wanted to laugh when Bella pulled away from her. She tried again and Bella held up her hand. The look on Renee's face was priceless.

"Leave, Renee." I demanded firmly. She turned without another word and stalked out the door. I looked at my mom who finally let out a laugh, as did I.

"Bella does not like that woman." mom my told me standing up to hug me. I hugged her back and set Bella back on the floor.

"Did you not like that lady?" I asked. She shook her head and moved back to sit on my lap.

I smiled as she laid her head on my chest and closed her eyes, just like she had done when she was a baby. The nights I couldn't sleep, or she couldn't, I'd go into the living room into Don's big recliner and lay down. I laid her on her stomach on my chest and she slept all night. A few times I had caught Don sleeping in there. Now that I think of it, there was no bigger turn on than seeing him laying there with the tiny baby curled into his strong chest and one hand over her back incase one of them moved.

"Is it true?" my mom asked, breaking me from my thoughts. "That she wants Isabella?"

"It's true. She talked to me not too long ago, I said no of course. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before she struck again." I sighed playing with the tiny curls on my daughters head before she scooted off to play.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'll take it as it comes. Don said I had nothing to worry about. So I'm not going to get stressed out until I have to." I told her calmly. She gave me that knowing smile and patted my shoulder.

"He's too good, huh?" she asked. I blushed a little and remembered our date and the night that followed.

"Too good to be true, sometimes." I mumbled.

"Well, he's been around too long to be untrue." she laughed. I nodded my head in agreement and looked over at her.

"Should I do it? Should I try this with me and Don?" I asked her quietly. She smiled and brushed a piece of hair out my face just like I had done with Bella. It amazed me how I could still feel like a child and have one of my own. It made me realize that I'd always need my mom, no matter how old I am or how many children I have, I'll always need her.

"Why wouldn't you?" she asked.

"I don't want to take away time from Bella. I don't want to risk everything we have and end up loosing it in the end. I can't loose him mom. He's all I have besides Bella and you. He's the one that kept me alive after Jason. He's the only male figure in Bella's life and she lights up when he's around. I'm afraid to risk all that." I confessed.

"Honey, I think you're taking Don and the feelings he has for you, and for Bella, for granted. That boy wouldn't leave you or that baby for anything in the world. You'd have to kill him to leave you alone and then, I still think he'd watch over you two. If things go sour you two will be the adults that you are and get over it. Time will bring you closer but you will never loose him. And neither will Isabella." she told me. I smiled and laid my head on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Ma." I whispered.

"Lo?" Bella squeaked. I looked over to see who she was talking to and saw her on my phone. I laughed as she held it awkwardly on the side of her head.

"Who are you talking to?" I asked, thinking she was playing.

"Da!" she squealed. I smiled but it slowly faded when she actually looked like she was concentrating on the voice on the other line. I quickly got up and took the phone from her. To my surprise, Don was on the other line.

"Don?" I asked.

"Hey." he replied groggily. I glanced down at Bella and bit my lip.

"I take it you didn't call me." I stated more than asked. I heard that chuckled and nearly melted.

"No. Though I was more surprised to hear Bella than you." he laughed.

"I'm sorry. I was talking to Ma and she must have hit the redial button." I apologized.

"It's alright. We had a nice little conversation before you took it away from her." he laughed again.

"Alright, well I'll let you go back to sleep then." I said reluctantly. I hadn't had a chance to talk to him all day and that's really all I wanted to do.

"Sara…" he said softly. My heart leaped and I walked into the foyer.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I know we left things hanging this morning and we haven't had much time to talk. And I really did have a great time, so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to pack Bella up and take her to Coney Island? Get her time with you and time so we can maybe talk things through." he suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds great, Don. I think she'd like that. I'd like that." I smiled feeling my heart beat finally slowing down.

"Great. Call me in the morning. And be careful driving home." he told me stifling a yawn.

"Good night, Don." I laughed.

"Sweet dreams, Bear." he whispered and hung up. I smiled at the phone and walked into the living room.

"I should be going now. I'll call you in the morning, okay?" I said hugging her.

"Be careful. Bye girls!" she waved and we walked out to the car. I buckled her in and jumped into the front seat. I knew once I hit the road that she would fall asleep and like clockwork, she did. I turned the music on low and hummed along as I drove through the lit streets of New York. The flashing of my gas light broke my silent drive and I pulled over into a tiny gas station.

"Ma?" Isabella asked from the back. I rolled her window down so she could see me as I pumped the gas.

"Hey, baby. Mommy's almost done." I smiled and started pumping the gas. I heard her sigh and shuffle around for a minute. As I was putting my gas cap on she spoke up again.

"Ma, who zat?" she asked.


	20. The Hudson

**I updated and it hasn't been a week...lol! Thanks for the reviews! It's getting closer. I have the next chapter done, of course, but I'm a little nervous. I really hope you all enjoy it. I'm no kind of cop so if my facts are messed up, I do apologize. But I tried to make it seem as real as I could. But for now, enjoy!**

**BEG75- Aww thanks! But I wouldn't dare tkae your nick name, well maybe later on...lol. That's if I can't think of one myself!! But thanks for offering. I love cliffie to! I get frustrated but they are jsut awesome. I love to be surprised by anything and everything. I hate hints unless they make it more mysterious...lol. I had to add the phone call with Bella there! I thought it would be cute. It kidna ties in with what I have planned in the upcoming chapters. Glad you liked it though! Thanks!! :)**

**JaydenBell- Thanks! Yes, I try to give not so obvious but obvious hints. Come on, you don't have a story without drama! I actaully got the Don/relciner thing from my sister in law. She had a baby last Sept. and she hada few tummy problems for the first two months adn when she wouldn't sleep, she would go into the living room and lay down in the recliner holding her. So she could sleep but the baby could still feel like she was being held. :)**

**WenchesterWench- Yes, Adam! I love Adam! And Don is a softie at heart, we all know it! Glad you liked it though! Thanks!! :)**

**katydid13- I can do good cliffies every once in a while...lol! Thanks for reviewing! :)**

* * *

It's probably the most annoying sound in the world, besides the alarm clock. Your phone ringing at 5am. And that's how I woke up this morning. The plan was to wake up on my own. No alarm, no phone. Just wake up when I wake up. The call and wake Sara up to piss her off. That was my devious plan being that she woke me up last night. Well, she didn't but I was going to use it against her anyways.

I actually enjoyed my tiny phone call with Bella. I'm just glad I didn't curse into the phone when she picked up. I was sleepy and aggravated but when I heard her tiny voice over the receiver I melted. Even at midnight hearing her voice lifted all the stress away. It was then I realized what Sara felt. She would always tell me when she was stressed all she wanted to do was hear Bella's voice. I thought she was nuts but that night I understood. No matter how bad the day got hearing her voice just made it all disappear.

Last night I could let slide but this morning, I wasn't so sure. Sara needed to keep an eye on that phone.

I groaned and rolled over to the side table and grabbed my phone. I didn't even look at the ID as I flipped it open.

"Flack." I grunted, rubbing my eyes.

"It's Mac." was all he said.

"Yes, and it's also 5am." I mumbled. I heard him chuckle and sighed. He was laughing at me. "Just because you never sleep, doesn't mean other people don't."

"I know, I know. And you're the last person I'd usually call this early but I can't seem to get a hold of Sara." he said. I wrinkled my forehead and sat up in bed.

"Then why are you calling me, exactly?" I asked.

"I was wondering if she was with you." he sounded almost nervous asking that. I laughed and walked into the kitchen.

"No, Mac. She might have stayed at her mom's." I told him. "Well, we have plans to go to Coney Island today. Let me call her and see if she answers. She might be boycotting your calls incase you wanna call her in." I told him.

"Well, I don't wanna call her in. I wanted to see if she and Bella wanted to come over for dinner. I asked her last night and she said to call her today. I did and no such luck." he sighed. I smirked at his fatherly way towards her.

"I'll call her. Okay? Just chill." I chuckled.

"Alright. Well, have fun and be careful. I heard there were some bad currents at Coney Island today." he warned me. I nodded and said my goodbyes. I looked at my watch and sighed.

"It's 5:34am. She's probably sleeping." I mumbled and grabbed a towel from the closet. I'd call her after my shower. Giver her time to rest so she won't bite my head off.

I turned the faucet on and let it warm up. When the steam finally filled the bathroom I jumped in. I was about to step under the water when my phone rang. I leaned out the shower and smirked when I saw Sara's name on the ID.

"Hey, Mac's worried sick." I laughed stepping to the back of the shower so the phone wouldn't get wet. I waited for her to answer but all I got was silence.

"Sara?" I asked. "Isabella?"

Silence.

I heard a click and looked at the phone. She hung up on me. I hit the redial button and called her back. It rang and rang. Her voicemail came over and I hung up. I redialed it again and frowned with what I heard.

'_The caller you are trying to reach cannot be located. Please try your call again later.'_

I hung up again and redialed. I heard the same thing and flipped the phone shut. I finished my shower and got dressed for con Island. Maybe Bella was playing with the phone and dropped it. Sara had gone through about three phones in the past two years. Either from her breaking them or Bella.

I didn't even get to pull out the driveway when Mac was calling again.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Did you get her? I've talked to her mom and she hasn't gotten a hold of her either." He said quickly.

"She called me. But hung up. I think Bella might have broken her phone or something. I'm heading over there now so I'll let her use my phone to call and check in. Okay?" I told him. He sighed again and we said our goodbyes.

"Between midnight calls from Bella and AM calls from Mac, I'm going to go insane." I mumbled and started my drive to Sara's house. All morning I was laughing at how worried Mac was. I never saw the point. So she wasn't answering her phone. It was 5am when he called me. And Bella might have had the phone and messed it up. There were logical reasons for everything. But when I pulled up to her house, I started thinking Mac might be right.

Her car was gone.

I got out the car and walked up the front door. I peered in and pulled put my key. I pushed the door open and looked around. No one was home. And everything was the way we had left it the other morning. I grabbed my phone and dialed her mom's number.

"Hello, Donnie." Lisa chirped over the phone.

"Hey, Lisa. How are you?" I greeted. She was like Mac, up and wide awake before the crack of dawn.

"Oh I'm just fine. You doing well?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Is Sara over there?" I asked. I heard her falter and then answer.

"Uh no. She left after Bella called you. Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm just here to pick her up and she's not home. She might have gone to get breakfast." I hoped and walked back outside.

"Okay, well have fun. And be careful." she said.

"We will. Goodbye, Lisa." I smiled.

"Bye, Donnie."

I flipped my phone shut and stood on her front step looking each way down the road. I waited for a few minutes and tried to calm down. There's no need to jump to conclusions.

"She's not home." a voice said from the corner. I looked over and saw her neighbor, Mrs. Stallworth.

"I know. I was waiting for her." I smiled. She had a tendency to be a little nosy.

"What I meant was she never came home last night. She left yesterday morning with you and hasn't been home." she clarified. I looked at her oddly and she smiled. "There was a Golden Girl's marathon on. It lasted until past midnight. And my neighbor's dog woke me up at 4am. So I've been up. And her paper is still there. The little girl gets it every morning."

"Thank you." I nodded and walked to my car. I pulled my phone out again and dialed her cell number. It said the same thing I said earlier. I felt the worry build up in the pit of my stomach and dialed Mac's number.

"Taylor." he answered.

"Mac, its Don." I said wearily.

"Get a hold of her?" he asked.

"No." I answered.

"Well, maybe she-" he began.

"Mac, she's not home. Lisa said she left after Bella called me and that was at 12:30am. Her neighbor didn't see her come home last night or this morning. Her paper hasn't been touched and the house is exactly the way we left it yesterday morning." I recanted quickly and rubbed my face.

"She hasn't been home." I whispered.

"Get in here." was all he said and hung up. I flipped the phone shut and did what I was told. But before I pulled out I yelled for Mrs. Stallworth.

"If you see her, tell her to call me. Or if you see anything odd, call me here." I said and wrote down my cell number. She agreed and I took off to the precinct. Now something just wasn't settling.

* * *

I hung the phone up and walked out into the lab. I waved Adam over and he walked over to my office.

"Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"What are you working on?" I asked rubbing my chin.

"A case for Stella. I'm almost done though." he told me.

"I need you to run a number for me." I said and passed him a slip of paper. He looked at it and got serious.

"Sara?" he asked. I nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, keep quiet. If Flack comes up here tell him I'm in the gym." I said and walked off. I took the stairs instead of the elevator. I needed the time to think.

Sara never ignored calls from me. Even if she was mad. She'd ignore two times and pick up. And she knew how I was with Bella. When I wanted to spend time with them, she made sure she was home to take the call. We both had busy schedules so we always had to check dates. And this morning did not settle with me when I called and she wasn't answering. I called Don and even he couldn't get a hold of her. She wasn't home. Something didn't feel right. Call it my somewhat formed fatherly bond or just a detective instinct but something just wasn't right.

I felt my phone ring as I stepped into the gym. I looked at the ID and it said Adam.

"Adam." I answered.

"I put in a trace for her phone." he started.

"What did you get?" I asked looking around incase Flack showed up.

"That's it. I got nothing. I pulled up her records and the last call was made to Flack this morning. After that there has been no signal or activity." he told me.

"Alright. Thanks, Adam." I said and hung up. I rubbed my chin and turned when someone yelled my name. I turned to see Don rushing over to me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Adam said you got him to run her number." he stated. I nodded and walked over to the back corner. I took of my jacket and unbuttoned the last two buttons. I pulled up my sleeves and pointed to the punching bag. Don grabbed a hold of it and I took my first hit.

"So why did you want me down here?" he asked, taking a sharp breath when I hit again.

"I needed to busy myself and I figured you would too." I told him and took another two shots. He scooted back and then took his place again.

"So busying myself now translates to being hit in the chest by the punching bag you're hitting? Remind me never to say that again." he mumbled.

"Plus, I wanted us to talk. Man to man." I told him. I heard him sigh and let his forehead drop onto the bag. "You knew this was going to happen."

"I know but I was hoping, being that you weren't her real father, that I could pass." he told me smiling a little.

"Not a chance. I might not be her real father but her real one isn't here. So you're stuck with me. And trust me; you'd rather have me than John." I laughed.

"So what do you wanna talk about? My intentions with her?" he joked. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, what are your intentions?" I asked seriously. He took a deep breath and looked over at me.

"My intentions are, hopefully, to be the guy that Jason wasn't. They are simple and pure, I swear. I just wanna be with her. And Bella, god knows, I love that child." he laughed shaking his head.

"I know you do. Are you going to be okay with that? If it gets that serious, will you be okay being that father figure to her?" I asked him. He looked up at me and stared.

"Am I not that already? I was there when she was born. I woke up at 3am to feed her when Sara was worn out. I did what Jason should have. People already look at us when we are out and tell us what a beautiful child we have. And this was before I asked her out." he told me. I smiled and nodded.

"But you'd be willing to give up your infamous bachelor status for her? For them?" I asked him. He looked at his hands and smirked a little.

"Mac, I've waited since the say I saw her in the precinct to give up my bachelor status for her. Unfortunately, Jason got to her first. So I got stuck in second place. I stuck it out through their dates and then that wedding. I've waited for years to be with Sara. She's the only person I feel comfortable with. And that hasn't changed any. Hell, Bella's made me want her more." he laughed.

"How?" I asked smiling.

"She's a great mother, Mac. Isn't that what you're supposed to look for in a woman? Wife and mother material." he asked. I nodded and looked around.

"That's what they say. But are you sure you're ready for that?" I asked again.

"Only with her. She makes me feel ready. It feels right with her." he said softly. I nodded and looked at the ground.

"Then you have my blessing. Just don't hurt her. Which I know you won't, but I just wanna add that in there. Along with the fact that she's like my daughter and I was a Marine." I laughed. He laughed with me and nodded.

"I got that." he assured me.

"Mac!" someone yelled. We turned around and saw a pale Stella running over.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She looked from me to Don and sighed.

"We found Sara's car." she whispered. I looked at her and waited.

"Stel." Don hissed. I patted his shoulder knowingly.

"They found it in the Hudson, Mac. They are pulling it out as we speak." she finished. I saw Don turn around and walk off but Stella yelled for him. She hesitated seeing the look in his eyes but spoke again.

"The divers…" she sniffed. "They found two bodies in the car. A woman and a child, strapped into the car seat."


	21. Oh God

_Ok thanks for all the reviews. I got most of the next chapter done...Working out the kinks. I hope you all like this one and the next one. I'm nervous about them...:(! But enjoy..._

_Bluehaven4220- Aww thanks! Now I gotta go thnka BEG too! I'm glad I could help and I'm glad you liked it! Thanks so much!! :)_

_WinchesterWench- Aww thank you, hun! I had to add those tiny little moments. All kind of fatherly moments, in a sense. I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)_

_JaydenBell- Yeah, the joys of waiting. Thanks for reviewing._

_hope4sall- Thanks! I had fun writing that father moment for Mac. I gotta do more of those...lol. :)_

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_BEG75- HaHa...One- You plugged my story and I got a new reader...Thanks! :) Two- I was also born without the virute they call patience. Three- Thanks, for reviewing...lol. I'm a little iffy on the next chapter or two but I do know what i want to happen afterwards and I know you're going to have a big aww moment...lol. I can tell already!_

* * *

For the first time in my life I had felt something I had never felt before. Fear. I had been in more than enough raids, shootouts, busts, wars and fights in my life. But never had I been scared. Never had I felt like I let someone down. Never had I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. But at the mere mention of Stella's words, I felt it. I felt it all crash down on me.

"Bodies?" I choked out. I felt Mac's hand come over my shoulder as Stella nodded.

"They haven't ID them yet. They won't let anyone into the scene without you or Mac there. So we need to head over there." she told us softly. I looked up at Mac and he nodded. I slowly stood up and saw the room spin for a second.

"You okay, Flack?" Mac asked. I looked over at him and wondered how he could ask that. He even though I know he was asking because I swayed, still. He bit his lip and walked beside me out the gym.

Apparently, news had spread. I saw everyone casting looks in my direction as we walked through the precinct. Some were whispering and pointing to me. Everyone knew something was going on between me and Sara. Now I knew how Sara felt walking through the precinct when Jason had died. Everyone giving you the nod or the half smile, not wanting to give a full one incase it offended you. Right now everything thing offended me. The looks, the talk and the way they looked at me. They all expected the worst, how could they do that? Just assume she was gone.

But maybe I was at fault. Maybe I was being too hopeful. But that's what I was supposed to do, right? Be hopeful. Wish and pray that it's not Sara and Isabella…

Bella.

She's two.

"Mac!" I yelled suddenly. Stella and him turned to look at me like everyone else in the room.

"The killer." I said a little quieter. He gave me a confused look and walked over to me.

"What killer, Don?" he asked and looked around nervously. "Let's just get to the car."

"No, Mac. Don't you see? Our cases. Sara and Bella." I tried to put it together but the words just weren't forming. I'm not sure if it wasn't forming because I was getting ahead of myself or if my brain or heart didn't want to process the fact that maybe our killer had gone after Sara and Bella.

"Oh my god." Stella gasped. I looked at her hoping she could find my words for me.

"He's right. Well, could be. She fit's the profile, Mac." Stella told him. I looked to Mac and saw his face drop.

"That's a little far fetched." he told us simply. I growled and Stella grabbed his shoulder.

"It's not. She fit's the profile of what our killer goes after. She went missing at night." Stella told him.

"But Bella wasn't abused." Mac told her. Stella frowned and looked over at me. It was like a light bulb going off in my head. I ran over to Sara' desk and grabbed the latest edition of the New York Time. I walked back over to Mac and Stella.

"Here." I said holding it out for them to read. Stella took it and Mac looked over her shoulder. "Sara was reading that the other day. It's the latest statistics. She was thinking Renee might use it against her if she did pursue custody of Isabella."

"New statistics on children of police officers. Children born to a single police officer are more likely to act be the bully. Children born to two police officers are more likely to act out in revenge. Children who lost a parent to the force are more likely to grow into depression and other mood problems." Mac read out loud. "That's a bunch of crock."

"No, it's not actually." Stella said. "Well, its crazy and only a statistic and nor solely based on how people raise their kids but it could make sense."

"Do you mind explaining?" Mac asked.

"Some believe that the pressure to stay in line and not get in trouble can push a child to act out later in life or regret their parents. So having one cop or two as parents, you have a sense to be good. That's too much for some kids. For me it was. I had to watch what I said because otherwise my dad would get my ass. That's what they mean. The pressure and stress of being a child of a cop can lead to attitude problems. Look at me!" I told them basically what Sara had told me the day before.

"That could be seen as a form of abuse, Mac. If the killer read this, he could have gotten the wrong look. Sara is the lead detective on this. What better way to make a bag, Mac." Stella finished for me. Mac rubbed his chin and looked at us.

"Bring all the evidence out from the cases. I want every lab tech called in and I want the evidence to be looked over again and again until we find something. Get Adam to look over everyone. I want you and Danny to come with me to the scene. Get Lindsey to run Sara's phone records, credit cards. I want to know a full time line by the time we get back. When you're done with that, meet us at the scene." he told Stella. She nodded and walked off.

"You're going to have to ID the bodies." Mac told me as we walked again.

"I know." I whispered.

* * *

"Alright, you heard Stella!" I yelled. "The only thing that is to be worked on right now is the evidence I am handing you. Michael and Kendall, you two get the first case. Sheldon and Kent, you get the second. And Lindsey, you and me are working with the last case. Stella and Danny are working with Mac on processing the next case. When they send the evidence over I'll work with them on that."

"Adam, are they sure it's the same killer?" Lindsey asked.

"They seem to think so. But either was this woman needs to be caught. So until Mac says otherwise, this is our main priority." I told her. She nodded and opened the box of evidence from the last case.

"Are you close to Sara?" she asked after a few moments. I sighed and spread the pictures of the scene out.

"Yeah, we good. She's the only one around here that doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. Not that everyone does. But she's just different." I tried to explain.

"She's the only one that didn't look at me as a newbie. She knew I had experience so she didn't consider me a newbie." she smiled. I smiled and looked over at her.

"Exactly. She doesn't judge you or make you feel like your not as good as the other people here." I agreed.

* * *

We arrived at the scene, which was right smack in the middle of the Hudson. I saw the tow truck pulling the car out and I saw the scuba officer walking out next to it. I watched as they unhooked the SUV and the coroner walked over to the driver side door. I looked over at Mac and he looked about like I felt. His usual stern face was now full of sadness and worry.

"You two stay here." Stella spoke softly from the back seat. "Wait until the get them in the body bags. I'll go ahead and start processing what I can. Then I'll let the tow truck haul it to the garage lab." she said and got out. I kept my eyes on the scene in front of me. There were people waling around trying to make sure the SUV didn't fall back into the river, people trying to keep people and photographers away and of course, the people trying to get the bodies out.

My eyes shot open when I saw the blonde hair of the woman being pulled from the driver's seat. I looked through the people and my heart fell. I jumped out the car, ignoring the yells from Mac. I pushed through the group of on lookers and through the yellow tape. I saw Stella drop her camera and rush over to me.

"Flack!" she yelled. "Stop him!"

I ran over to the gurney where they laid the body and the man pushed me back.

"I'm Detective Don Flack." I told him quickly. Stella and Mac caught up with me and looked at the man.

"He's going to ID the bodies." Stella told him. The man nodded and waited for the other tiny body to roll up. I felt like dying seeing the tiny body bag. I felt Mac walk away and went to turn away when Stella stopped me.

"I'll get him." she whispered. I looked back at the coroner as he slowly unzipped the first bag. I closed my eyes and covered my nose at the smell of the already decomposing and wet body. I took a deep breath through my mouth and calmed myself before opening my eyes.

"Oh god." I choked when I saw the blonde. Her blue eyes were wide open and her neck slit from side to side. I felt my breakfast come up and quickly turned around to throw up. I heard Mac yell and run over but Stella held him.

"It's not her! It's not her! Tell me, it's not her." he yelled. I had never seen him this way. I stood up and looked at him.

"It's not her." I coughed. His body relaxed and looked like he was about to fall. He walked over and unzipped the tiny body bag and sighed.

"They looked exactly alike though." I muttered. He nodded and looked at the tiny girls' stomach.

"It's our killer, alright." he sighed.

"Mac, you might want to take a look at this." Stella called from the back of the SUV. We walked over, suddenly more confident, and looked at the back. There was a tiny bag with a piece of paper inside. Stella opened the bag and Mac grabbed the paper. He unfolded it as I looked over his shoulder.

'_Il suo tempo è ora.'_

"Sara knew Italian. Mine's all faded away by now." I told him. He looked around and held up the paper.

"Who knows Italian?" He yelled. I looked around and saw a rookie uniform walk over.

"I do." he said in a thick New York accent. I smirked, of course he does.

"What's this say?" I asked and let him it.

"Your time is now." he read. I nodded and Mac waved him off, after a quick thank you. I looked at Mac and he sighed.

"Well, let's get this towed back to the lab."

* * *

I was watching every move they made. Mostly to make sure they got everything, even though I wouldn't know if they missed something. But also to see what Sara found so fascinating about this. She always had this thing about watching them process a scene or anything. She watched them in the lab and ask what test they were running and why. Some days I worried she would quit working with me to go back to school and become a CSI. But she said she was fine just watching and helping every once in a while rather than reading boring science books.

"You don't have to stare so hard." Stella smirked. We were all calmed now that the bodies weren't Sara and Bella's. Granted, they were still missing but we kept the hope alive that they were just that, alive.

"I'm just observing." I told her and peered over her shoulder as she looked through the SUV. So far they had torn it apart, literally. Danny had ripped the bumper off but he was just in a bad mood. He hadn't said a word since Mac told him what was going on. He just jumped up and started processing. I didn't push him to talk. I knew how he was. In fact, this was the best way for him to work. All riled up and would take anything as trace. I just felt bad for the lab techs.

"I think we've done all we can." Danny sighed crawling from underneath the truck. "We have torn it to pieces, which Sara will not like but there's nothing else. And we've already sent up three bags of stuff that might not be anything."

"But Adam said he was looking over every bit of it." Stella told us. I nodded and rubbed my chin. I heard a beeper go off and Stella looked at her phone. Her face brightened as she looked at us.

"Adam's got something." she told us and we all took of for the lab. Oh, if he breaks this case, I'll please Sara and never be mean to him. I'll wait on that lab rat hand and foot.

* * *

"There has to be something we're not seeing." Lindsey sighed. I nodded and set my chin on the table. I had looked at every case with every body else and still found nothing. Part of me felt good about that, we hadn't missed anything. But the other part was hoping someone had over looked even the tiniest thing so we could have one up on the crazy woman. And this new evidence hasn't done anything to help out. It was all wet and it wasn't a real scene like the other in the warehouses. So there had to be something else.

"I know but what?" I mumbled and sat up. I looked over the table and over the pictures. "I have a feeling Sara would be able to tell us what it is. Sometime she's more of a CSI than a detective." I whispered to myself.

I tilted my head and looked at the pictures. What could be there? We've got all we could from the evidence. Now what else is there? There has to be some connection. Think like Sara, think like Sara.

"What about the buildings?" I whispered. Lindsey looked over at me.

"What about them?" she asked.

"A connection." I whispered again. She gave me a funny look and watched as I pinned the pictures of each scene up on the marker board. "Give me the addresses to the buildings."

"71 Monty St., 45 Hollen Rd., and 70 Norris Ct." she read off. I nodded and write them down.

"Type them into the computer." I told her looking at the board. I heard her type and turned to look at them.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"There's not a lot of two digit addresses in New York, Linds. But she picked these. Maybe they aren't random." I told her.

"You think it's a location?" she asked. I shook my head and typed them in again.

"No, it's something else. She was most likely a child abuse victim. She leaves clues so why not leave some hidden." I told her.

"Okay, I get that. But what could it be?" she asked me. I stared at the numbers for a moment and then looked over at the pictures. All had child abuse cases…

Cases.

"What if it's a case number?" I asked as the light bulb flashed in my head.


	22. Dah

**Okay so the next chapter is not done...lol. I've tried writing today but no such luck. Just not in the mood but I figured I could go ahead and post this. I'm iffy on it, but if I let you down...lol...I apologize. I swear I will make it up to you in the next chapter or two! Thanks for all the reviews! :)**

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* * *

I woke up with a searing pain in my head. I wasn't sure how it go there but I didn't start to panic or remember last night until I reached up to try to rub it. My eyes shop open to see a dark empty room. I looked around and sighed when I saw Bella laying next to me. For some reason she wasn't tied up but she was sound asleep. I wiggled my hands in a failed attempt to free them when I noticed a bag was next to me. I looked over at Bella and nudged her with my arm.

_'She better wake up.'_ I thought.

She squirmed for a minute and looked up at me. Her eyes were a little glossy and I hoped it was because she was tired. She blinked a few times looking at me and I nudged her again. I started making noises to try and get her to take the cloth on my mouth and she stood up to remove it.

"Good girl. Now you need to be quiet. Can you do mommy a favor?" I asked quietly and she nodded. "Ya see that bag over there? I need you to look for a cell phone, like mommy and Donnie have." I told her. She nodded and tip toed over to my bag.

_'Lordy, she knows how to sneak around already.'_ I thought smiling. I watched her reach up to the bag and pull it down. She looked through it for a minute and put it back up. She had a smile on her face as she trotted back over carrying a cell phone.

"Okay now reach on mommy's shoe and there should be a tiny little piece of plastic in there." I told her. Don made me carry around an extra SIM card incase my phone broke. She took my shoe off and pulled out the chip. I nodded and shifted so I was sitting on my hand's. I pulled my legs as close to me as possible and slowly pulled my arms under my butt and under the back of my legs. I sighed and looked at Bella who was staring at me.

"I'm surprised I can get this far, Bella." I smiled. She gave me a small smile and that only told me she was scared. "It's okay. Donnie will be here soon." I mumbled and moved my arms the rest of the way over my legs, only wincing slightly when my shoulder started to move out of socket. I sighed when it was done and waved for the phone and the card. She watched as I removed the back piece and smiled when I saw she had a SIM card too. I pulled out hers and replaced it with mine.

My ears perked up when I heard foot steps. I quickly passed the phone to Bella and watched the door.

"Call Donnie, again." I whispered.

"Dah?" she asked.

"Yeah, call Dah. You don't have to say anything though." I told her as the door burst open. Isabella ran to a dark corner and huddled as far as she could as the person walked into the room. The long hair and slim figure told me it was a woman and the past days events told me it was my killer. She didn't say anything as she looked around the room. I tried my hardest to get a look at her face but she wouldn't let me.

"Where's my phone?" she asked. I swallowed hard and looked over at Bella.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked. She turned to me but the darkness hid her face. My heart jumped when she walked over to Bella. She pulled Bella from the corner and snatched the phone from her. She pushed her back in the corner and looked at the phone before throwing it down and stepping on it. She kicked the pieces away and walked back over to me.

"Purposely putting your child in danger, that's one good way to get me to kill her and you." she said calmly.

"You say that like you don't wanna hurt her." I stated. "But I'd never put her in danger. I was simply trying to get her out of danger." I told her.

""If that boyfriend and father of yours are as good as they say they are, you'll be out of danger soon." she replied and leaned on the table.

"My father? My father is dead." I told her cooly. How did she know Mac was like my father? How did she know about me and Don?

"He's as close as it gets though." she whispered. "And you might as well stop talking. I'm not telling you why I'm doing what I'm doing or having any kind of small talk with you unless it's in an interrogation room."

"Well, that time will come soon. Because I can guarantee you the whole lab and city of New York is looking for me and Isabella right now." I smiled at her. She nodded and stood up straight.

"Good. The more the merrier. And from what I left behind, they should be getting here soon." she laughed and walked out. I stared at the door and tried to process what she had just said. The more the merrier? My god, what did she have planned? And was she really leading them here? I felt a tiny hand on my shoulder and turned to see Bella.

"I scared." she whispered. "I want Dah." I wrapped my arms over her shoulders and pulled her into my lap.

"I know. I want Dah too." I said and kissed her head.

* * *

We nearly ran to the lab after Adam called. He didn't give any specifics but he wouldn't call unless he really had something. He had taken his time going through every piece of evidence that Danny and Stella had sent up along with the past three cases. Now I only hoped his hard work had paid off.

Technically we weren't even supposed to be looking for her, seeing as she hadn't been missing for twenty-four hours yet. But it was linked to a murder investigation and she was a NYPD detective, so we had leeway. We kept it as quiet as possible. The last thing I needed was Lisa and my mom running frantic through the halls of the precinct. It was bad enough me and Mac were stomping around. But we also didn't want the news to catch a whiff and spread it all over town and risk scaring our killer.

"Adam, it better be good." Mac declared walking in the room. On any other day Adam would have shrunk back and start to stutter but today he was determined.

"I think I have a lead on where Sara and Isabella might be." he started. Danny took his place next to me and we all waited. "It seems our killer likes to leave clues to finding out about her victims. There is nothing else to get from the evidence but I think there might be something under it."

"Explain more." I sighed. He smirked and nodded.

"From the way she does her attacks, nothing is random. And after looking over everything else I think the answer is in the buildings." he smiled. I bit my lip and looked over at Danny, who raised his brows.

"I though you said there wasn't anything else. What do you want us to do tear the building down and bring them to ya?" Danny asked.

"Not the buildings per say. The addresses." he frowned at Danny. "Each are two digits and you know how many two digit places there are in New York, not a lot outside of the city."

"What are you thinking Adam?" Mac asked very interested.

"I think it's a case number." he said proudly. "Stella and Sara said the killer was more than likely an abused child and we are two numbers from a full case number." he told us.

"You think the last tow numbers are the digits to the address?" Mac asked. I looked over at Danny, who nodded as it was all being said.

"Isn't that a long shot?" I asked. "I mean, even with six numbers, the cases that could pop up are out of this world. And even if we did find the case, we still won't have the full address. We'd only have only have two digits." I told them.

"We can marrow it down and try to find a connection from there. She picked these places for a reason, Don. We just gotta find it." Mac told me calmly.

"Well, you better find it fast. Sara's been with that crazy bitch for nearly ten hours too long." I snapped. Mac gave me a stern stare and nodded.

"Go take a break, Flack. Eat something, cool off." he told me. I sighed and walked out the door. I walked down to the men's bathroom and locked the door. I closed my eyes as I leaned against it. I slowly let myself slide down the to the floor and held my head in my hands.

Just when I think I get to have her, something happens. Like the time I was going to ask her out. I had it all planned out, I was going to ask her on the way to a gathering at the Central Park. I was about to ask when this guy ran into both of us. He was jogging and didn't pay attention and he ran smack into me and Sara. I went to help her up but the guy pulled her to her feet before I could. He apologized and notices she was wearing a NYPD shirt. That started a near hour long conversation about how much they had in common. I ended up leaving and he ended up asking her out. The guy was Jason.

I ran my fingers through my hair and tightly wrapped my fingers in it. I pulled at it and winced.

"I can still feel." I mumbled to myself. "Just making sure." I stood up and walked over to the sink and turned the water on. I let it run as I looked at myself in the mirror.

I liked to think I was a good looking guy. I had a few grey's popping up but that ran in the family. At least I didn't get the early balding like my brother had. I took more after my mom's family. The Italian side, the dark hair and the height. About the only thin I got from my dad were my Irish blue eyes and the last name. Luckily, Sara was Irish and Italian too. Our families adored each other, we got along and we had most of the same traditions. That made everything so much easier. It would probably be the highlight of the century if we ever got married.

"That's if she's alive." I mumbled and quickly regretted it. It was hard to think positive and think in the cop mode when its your girlfriend and her child out there with some crazy.

"Flack!" came Mac's voice through the door, right before the pounding of a fist. I splashed some water on my face and grabbed a towel as I walked to the door. I opened it and looked at the weary looking man.

"You good?" he asked laying a hand on my shoulder.

"As good as I can be." I replied. He nodded and we walked back into the lab.

"So what's the plan Adam?" I asked sitting next to him in front of the computer.

"Well, when we run 7145-70 we get-" he paused to let the list of cases load. "Wow, 200 matches to the first six numbers." he told me.

"Narrow it down by child abuse cases." Stella told him. He nodded and typed in a new search field.

"That's better. We got 102 cases." he told us. "We know the killer is female so we can narrow it down to female victims. And that gets us 59."

"Can you narrow it down to addresses that have two digits? Seeing as we are missing only two numbers." I asked Adam nodded and typed again.

"15 cases." he sighed. I bit my lip and looked over the cases.

"Start a new search and run just the street names?" Mac told him.

"Why?" Adam asked and regretted it. "Sorry, will do Mac." I was scanning the cases as Adam scrolled and a few names caught my eye.

"What was the first address again?" I asked her.

"71 Norris." she told me looking through a case file.

"And the other two?" I asked. Mac looked over at me and raised a brow.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"Bring up this one and this one." I told Adam and pointed out two cases. He clicked them and they popped onto the screen next to each other.

"Norris Matthews. Accused of beating his daughter to death." Stella sighed shaking her head.

"Read the other one and bring this one up too." I told Adam and pointed to another. Mac stepped behind me and smirked.

"Shannon Hollen and Monty Larson." he said looking over at me.

"Find what they have in common, Adam." I told him and he nodded. He clicked on all three cases and a list popped up.

"All three girls were seven when these were filed." Stella mumbled and then smiled. "All went to Albertson Elementary School."

"Any other cases from Albertson?" Mac asked. Adam typed in another search field and one lonesome case popped up. I stood up straight and read it.

"Lorraine Carter convicted of child abuse on Marsha Carter. Is there a picture of Marsha?" I asked. Adam wrinkled his nose and clicked through. A picture of the girl popped up from the time the case was filed.

"You think that's her?" I asked. Every stared at the badly bruised child and sighed. She had gone from something so innocent to something so cruel.

"It could be." Stella whispered.

"The last two digits of the case is 58. The killer used the names of her childhood friends and the digits of her case number as clues." Mac started.

"You think Sara could be at the next address?" I asked.

"Yes, but that's if we have an address." he told me.

"Well, we have 58 already. Look for 58 Marsha and 58 Carter." I rushed him. He typed in the two addresses and we only got one hit.

"58 Carter Ave. It's an old house down the street from Albertson." Adam read.


	23. Daddy

**Okay, I was so worried about last chapter, but...It seems everyone liked it...lol. So I fell better now. Well, here it is. Enjoy! :)**

**RedK-UK - HaHa...Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Marraige? They would be cute but we'll have to see what happens...lol.**

**BEG75 - Yeah, I needed little Sara/Bella moments. I had to add Adam! He needs some light too! :) Glad you like it, I was thinking everyone would hate it...lol. I'm so paranoid! LOL**

**JaydenBell - Well, it's monday! So that worked out, huh? Glad you liked it! :)**

**WinchesterWench - HaHa...Cat sitting? I get my mom to do that :) Glad you like it!**

**hope4sall - Ahh thanks! I was seriosuly frekaing out writing it...lol. I had what i wanted to do and all I had to do was explain it well...lol. I didn't think it'd be that hard...haha! Glad you liked it though!**

**BlueHaven4220 - Don't worry everything will be explained. But there was a scene betwene Don and Stella maybe two chapters ago about an article that Sara read to Don. It shed some light on why the killer might have taken Sara and Bella. But I will explain it again, lol!**

* * *

I was really beginning to get annoyed with this woman. I had been in the same room for nearly four hours and I had to get any kind of information from her. I haven't even seen her face and it was really starting to piss me off.

"Mommy, I hungry." Isabella whined next to me. I sighed and rubbed my face.

"I know, baby. Mommy is too." I whispered and pulled her into my lap. I laid her head on my chest and ran my fingers through her hair.

"I go now." she mumbled and scooted out of my lap. I felt a little rejected at first but my eyes widened when I saw her go back to the corner and pick up a pen. I looked around the room and spotted the tiny window at the top of the ceiling.

"Isabella, come here and bring the pen." I ordered. She reluctantly walked over and handed the pen to me. I set her down and pulled her shoe and one sock off.

"Wah doin'?" she asked as I scribbled down a tiny message on her sock. I smiled at her and put her shoe back on, without the sock. I picked the end of her dress up and saw she was wearing the slip that went under it. I pulled the top of her dress off and laid it next to me.

"I need you to do something for mommy. Remember that time Nanna Jane fell and she sent you to her next door neighbor's house?" I asked, praying she remember just three months ago when Don's mom fell and sent Bella next door with a simple note.

"Yah." she whispered. I handed her the sock and pointed to the window.

"I'm going to see if I can get you out that window and I need you to find the first person you see, give them the sock and stay with them. Okay? Can you do that for mommy?" I asked. She nodded her little head, swinging her blonde hair in her face. I held her face in my hands and kissed her forehead.

"Be careful." I whispered. I picked her up and walked over to the wall where the window was. I slowly stood on an old box and set her on the sill. I was about to jump to see if I could see how it opened when she pushed it. I stared at her and she smiled.

"You are so innocent are ya?" I said to myself and kissed her leg. She crawled out the window and let it fall shut. I watched the window for a few seconds and then walked back to my spot.

I just sent my child on a mission. I sent her outside by herself. Was I crazy? I looked around the room and saw an old pillow that the lady had thrown at us. I grabbed it and threw Bella's dress over it and laid it under a blanket. Maybe if she came in she'd think she was sleeping. Now I just needed a way to get me out of here.

* * *

It was nearly 2am and just about every NYPD employee was either with me on the way to Carter St. or at the precinct waiting to hear anything. It hadn't taken long for the news to spread that Sara and Isabella had been kidnapped. Them being kidnapped wasn't the worry but the fact of you they were kidnapped by was what was worrying everyone. The psycho woman that had been killing mothers and her children for the past two years had them and lord only knows when we'd get a call saying there was a new crime scene.

But now we were here. It was a nice sized house right on the out skirts of town. It looked like no on had lived in it for years and there didn't seem to be anyone there.

"Is every stationed?" Mac asked quietly into the phone. We waited until Danny beeped back.

"We are." he responded. We had the house surrounded, men in front, men in back, on the sides and some on the streets surrounding it just incase. Mac and Danny both refused to stay behind on this one and no one really fought them on it.

"Don we're waiting on your cue." Mac whispered to me. I sighed and looked though binoculars. We were a short distance from the house in a car. I looked to see if any movement had been made and I pulled them down.

"Let's-" I was cut off by Danny.

"Wait." he hissed. I pulled the binoculars and looked around. "Movement." I stopped looking when a tiny dark figure came into view. She walked through the tiny brush on the side of the house and was heading for the neighbor's house.

"Is that who I think it is?" Mac asked. I flung the door open to get a better look at what looked to be a little girl.

"Daddy!" the voice screamed and ran over to me. I kneeled down to catch a crying Isabella in my arms. But I was not surprised that I had found her, it was what she just called me. I pulled her away from me and looked into her shimmering eyes.

'_Did she just call me daddy?'_ I thought. I looked down as she held out a sock. I looked at it oddly and I saw Mac's hand reach over me to grab it.

"Detective Sara Roberts, basement. One suspect, armed." Mac read out loud. I wanted to listen but I kept staring at Bella and she was holding my gaze. She sniffed and laid her head on my shoulder.

_'Daddy.'_ the voice echoed. I held her to me and was about to look up at Mac when the sound of a gun shot filled the air.

"Shots fired! We're going in." Danny yelled. I picked Bella up and handed her to a uniform by the car as everyone took off for the house. I saw Danny kick in the front door and I yelled out to him.

"Basement!"

I followed him in and while everyone else searched the house and secured it we took off for the basement. We reached the door and listened for anything, movement, crying, something. But I heard nothing. I heard Danny cock his gun and I leaned back to bring my foot up next to the door knob and kicked it in. We barreled through the door with guns high.

"NYPD!" we yelled simultaneously but stopped short of saying anything else.

* * *

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the door knob turn. I looked over at the pillow and made sure it looked real and then looked back at the door. But nothing happened. I walked over and pressed my ear to it and started to get worried when I didn't hear anything. I pulled my head away just as the door swung open. I caught it with my hands and pushed against it, not to hit anyone but to keep it from hitting me. But it just so happened it smacked into the head of the person keeping me here. I heard her yelp and fall to the ground. I jumped into action and let my foot crash into her stomach. She rolled over and I made a bee line for the door but her hand grabbed my ankle and I fell, hitting my head on the edge of the door.

"Stupid bitch." she growled. I turned onto my back and looked up at her. She was now holding a baseball bat and let it come down into my ribs.

"Fuck." I coughed and rolled over and tried to shield myself from her blows but no more came. I held my side and tried to catch my breath as she walked over and shut the door.

"I thought you were smarter than that." she laughed. "But I guess not."

"Oh shut up. I'm not going around killing and kidnapping people. Or wearing hoodies and keep the lights off to hide in shame." I breathed.

"Aww no need to get nasty. I'm not ashamed." she cooed.

"Then why not tell me who you are? It's got to be shame." I challenged. I saw her head nod as she slowly moved her hands to the black hood on her head.

"Ashley?" I gasped when she pulled off her hood. The same Ashley that stayed with me when I was in labor, that brought me balloon and flowers when Bella was born? What the hell?

"Surprised?" she grinned and removed her black jacket. I winced as I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

"Uh yeah, it's not everyday me and my daughter are kidnapped and threatened to be kill by the person who helped bring said daughter into this world." I snapped, trying to catch my breath, I knew I broke some ribs.

"Well, that's what happens when said kidnapper thinks said mother isn't doing a good job." she snarled. I glared at her and started to stand up.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" she asked coyly.

"Why did you kill all those people? Why are you doing this, Ashley?" I asked. I watched her eyes darken and she stood up straight.

"I told you not to ask questions." she said darkly.

"And I never agreed to that. Tell me." I hissed. She was no longer the pretty girl I met nearly two years ago, she looked like the crazy person we had sitting across from us at an interrogation.

"Why?" she glared at me. "You wanna know why? Because they deserved it. The first one, Leslie, beat that boy everyday because he would cry or get dirty! All you did was slap her on the wrist and give him back when she said she was sorry!" she yelled at me.

"Me? I didn't do anything. I'm a fucking homicide detective." I croaked back.

"Shut up! You wanted to know so let me fucking finish." she screamed as her left hand came across my face. "And the other one, Cheryl, she would leave that poor girl in the car while she cheated on her husband. They all deserved it! They were worthless!"

"And those children?" I screamed not worrying about the severe pain in my side. "As if those kids weren't hurt enough, you go and gut the like a fucking fish! Whose worthless now Ashley? Huh?"

I felt myself fall back again as her hands came to my neck. I coughed when her hands squeezed and I squirmed under her to try and get her off me. I relaxed for a minute and quickly flipped us over so I was on top now. I let my knee sink into her ribs and she let my neck go. I bright my fist down onto her jaw and scurried to get up but she let her foot catch my ribs again. I howled in pain and rolled over to sit. We stared at each other for a moment before she reached the pillow.

"No!" I screamed. She grinned evilly and yanked the pillow up but her face dropped when she felt how light it was.

"Where the fuck is she?" she screamed and threw the pillow down. I scooted away from her as she stood up and towered over me.

"I sent her to get help. You think I wouldn't try and get out of here?" I seethed.

"You're just like them. I knew I should have killed you sooner." she whispered, her eyes going wild. Her face had completely changed, she didn't look mad anymore, she looked crazy.

"Ashley-" I whispered.

"No, you are. You put her danger. You abuse her and you don't even see, and you don't see it so you won't stop." she breathed looking at me.

"I love her." I croaked.

"All three of my friends killed themselves. They were abused and they killed themselves." she told me. I looked up at her and wondered why she was telling me this now.

"Is that why you killed the kids? Because you thought you were saving them?" I asked. She nodded her head and turned around.

"Ashley, we can fix this. You just need to stop." I begged and she stopped.

"No, we can't fix it." she mumbled and turned around. My heart fell when I saw her pull out my gun and cock it. "Only I can fix it."


	24. Bad, Bad, Don

**Okay I went on a complete writing spree. I got behind on writing a chapter ahead when I was so scared of the whole case number thing...lol...But today I caught up. I ended up writing this chapter and chapter 25 back to back! AHH! But I hope you like it. :)**

**BEG75- HaHa...I tried my best at that little scruff. I'm really bad at action scenes so I don't take them too far or it would take me a long time to get it right! Yes, Dah is now Daddy. Nice little transition. Like I told WinchesterWench, the next chapter adds to that. :) I'm tired of drama for a few chapters...lol.**

**hope4sall- Yes, everyone had an aww moment there. Glad you liked it! Thanks! :)**

**JaydenBell- Ahh yes, it took him to a happy place for a moment. I got faith in the CSI's...lol. Thanks for reviewing!! :)**

**WinchesterWench- Yes, bad Ashley. Freak too...lol. I had that Daddy planned long ago. I thought it's be a nice tiny tid bit to take his mind off of the obvious and start to realize how close he and Bella are. This and the next chapter go into that. :)**

**BlueHaven4220- Keep in mind there are different kinds of abuse...lol. But the next chapter will explain that. Thanks for reviewing! :)**

* * *

I sat in the back of the ambulance while the EMT's looked me over and made sure I was okay. I wasn't hurt. I was shocked.

I had seen many people take their lives before and I had seen many people die, but never had it shocked me so much to see Ashley take the gun to her head. All I could do was stare as she fell onto the ground and even after Danny and Don burst in, I couldn't move. When I looked at them I could see the shock I wore also being spread on their face but Don's faded quick as he looked over at me. Everything became real then. Everything came back to normal as he rushed over to me and held my face in his hands. I didn't realize I was crying until he was wiping the tears off my face. I flung myself into his arms as the rest of the team poured into the room and he held me. He held me to his chest and whispered soothing words in my ear to calm me down.

"Sara?"

I snapped from my daze and looked in front of me.

"Donnie." I whispered looking at him. He walked over closer and lifted one leg in the bumper of the van.

"You okay?" he asked. I took a deep breath and pondered that question.

"Me and my two year old were kidnapped by some crazy that went on a spree killing mother's and their children. I then found out the said crazy helped me bring said daughter into the world. Then I watched her kill herself." I told him.

"Sara-"

"I should be a wreck right now, Don." I sighed. "But I'm not." I confessed. He looked up at me and cocked his head.

"She put my child in danger." I seethed, feeling a new trail of tears fall down my cheeks. "She put her in harm's way. I'm not upset anymore but I'm way passed pissed off."

"I know." he whispered. I wiped my face and let out a deep breath.

"So what now?" I asked. He smiled down at me and rubbed his chin.

"We go home." he told me and held his hand out. I gave him a small smile and grabbed it. He walked me through the yellow tape and through the chaos to his patrol car. My whole jumped when I saw sitting on the hood of his car next to Mac. The whole past couple days flashed through my head and a flood of emotions over me.

"Mommy!" she smiled when she finally saw me. I felt hot tears pour down my face as I dropped the blanket the medics gave me and ran towards her. She jumped into my arms when I got close and wrapped them around my neck. I closed my eyes and held her tight as Mac and Don looked on.

"I want you to stay with Don tonight." Mac told me. I nodded without looking at him. "You want me to take Bell tonight?"

"No." I refused quickly. I knew they wanted to make sure I was okay but…"I need her tonight." I whispered. They nodded and Mac walked over and kissed my head.

"I'll stop by tomorrow morning." he whispered and walked off. I looked over at Don and smiled.

"You don't mind?" I asked. He laughed and opened the backseat door to put Bella in.

"You are the stupidest smart person I know." he told me as I put Belle in the back seat. I closed the door and hit his chest playfully.

"Just drive." I told him and got into the car.

I watched the house as we drove by. I had seen this scene a million times. Police covered yards. Red, blue and white lights flashing through the dark, still night. Ambulances and fire trucks parked all along the streets. And curious neighbors and passer-byers looking on and wondering what happened. It was my life and my job. But it never seemed so surreal until now. I never noticed until now why it held the intrigue that it did to most people.

A light squeeze shook my from my thoughts though.

"It'll be okay." Don whispered. I looked over at him and nodded.

* * *

Words can't describe the fear I felt when I heard those gun shots. They can't describe the worry I felt when I walked into that house. They can't describe the shock I felt when I saw Ashley laying on the floor. They can't describe the relief I felt when I saw Sara was okay or the love I felt when she wrapped her arms around me. Webster just couldn't print them and I can't say them. But they were there. All those feelings.

"I'll get her." I whispered to Sara, looking in the back at Bella's sleeping form. I carried Bella inside and laid he down in the bedroom she used to occupy. She stirred a little and I looked over at Sara.

"Go take a shower, I'll lay with her." I whispered. She nodded and walked out the room while I crawled into bed with Bella. I laid one arm under my head and laid my other one over her side when she curled into my chest.

"No seepy." she whispered. "I no seepy." I smirked down at her and watched her lids flutter back shut. She was the spitting image of Sara. The hair, the eyes, the nose, everything. I liked it that way. I knew it was selfish but I didn't want to see Jason when I looked at her. Not after what he did Sara. Not after these past two years and me being the man in her life. Just the possibility that if he hadn't died Sara would still be a single mother, pissed me off. I never expected Jason to do that. But I never expected him to die and I never thought that me and Sara would be together.

I brushed a piece of hair off her face and leaned down to her kiss head.

"Night, Bella." I whispered and started to move out the bed.

"Night, Daddy." she breathed. I stared down at her for a minute before moving again. The firs time she said it I thought she was just scared or I heard wrong. But not then. Twice in one night? That couldn't just be an accident, right?

I shook my head and walked into the bedroom. I heard the shower running and started to undo my tie. I heard a faint whimpering and walked out into the hallway, nothing. I took my tie off and walked over to the bathroom door. My heart ached when I heard the whimpering through the door. I stripped my shirt off and pushed into the bathroom. I saw her sitting on the ground through the clear glass door and opened it. She didn't even look up as I turned the water off and kneeled down next to her.

"I can't protect her." she sobbed. I pulled her soaking wet body into mine and leaned against the wall.

"You didn't know she was coming after you. No on can see that, Sara. That doesn't not mean you can't protect her." I whispered.

"This is only going to give Renee leverage in her case. I'll loose her Don." she said looking up at me.

"What did I tell you? Huh?" I asked.

"I won't loose her." she whispered. I smirked and moved a strand of hair covering her nose.

"Exactly. I won't let you loose her. I promise." I told her again. She nodded and leaned back into me.

"I'm sorry I got you wet." she mumbled.

"It's not the first time and hopefully won't be the last." I laughed. She picked her head up and smiled.

"You're bad." she laughed.

"Yeah." I whispered and ran a finger down her face. "But you love me." She smiled at me and nodded.

"Yes, I do." she whispered and laid her head back on my shoulder. We stayed there until the steam left the bathroom and she started shivering. I wrapped her in a towel and changed into dry clothes before laying next to her in the bed.

"I'm going to have to go up there tomorrow, huh?" she asked softly. I ran my fingers through her hair and nodded.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't take too long. Apparently, Mac found a letter in the house that Ashley wrote." I told her. She leaned up and laid her chin on my chest.

"What kind of letter?" she asked.

"He said it looked like a confession." I sighed and rested my hand on the back of her neck. She stared at me for a few minutes and turned her head to lay her cheek on my chest.

"Tired?" I asked.

"In so many ways." she yawned and moved up to lay her head on my shoulder. I smiled when she buried her face in my neck and nipped and kissed it.

"She called me Daddy." I blurted out. I felt her lips leave my neck and she slowly leaned up.

"Bella?" she asked quietly. I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yeah. Twice actually." I said shakily. She was quiet for a minute and then nodded.

"I'll tell her to stop if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I know you're not her-" she rambled but I stopped her.

"That's the thing." I smiled. "I don't mind it." Her eyes filled with tears and a smile crossed her face.

"You're all she knows, Don. Me and you. Even before we became an us, you're were there." she whispered.

"And I would do it all over again, Sara. I love her. I love her to death." I smiled. "And I love you, Bear."

"I love you too, Donnie." she smiled and leaned down to kiss me.

* * *

I woke up the next morning and didn't want to move. I was nearly laying on top of Don, with my head on his chest, one legs draped over his and my arms encircling his waist. He didn't seem to mind though. I woke up and the first thing I saw was that dimpled smile and bright blue eyes looking down at me.

"Comfy?" he asked. I nodded and sat up to stretch.

"Very. You?" I smiled. He grinned and moved me so I was on top of him and pulled me down to him.

"Very much so." he whispered and pressed his lips to mine. I melted into the kiss and shivered feeling his hands run up the back of my shirt and caress my back. My finger splayed in his short hair and giggled when he flipped us over.

"We can't." I whispered. He moved his lips from mine and down my neck.

"Donnie-" I whined and pushed him away just a little. He pouted and kissed me one last time.

"Alright, alright." he smirked and rolled out of bed. I followed him out and peeked down the hallway to see if I could see Bella.

"You want me to call my mom to watch Bella?" he asked. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few bowls for cereal.

"No, we can take her today." I told him. I fixed the bowls and waited to see if Bella would come out on her own. And sure enough, as I set the bowls down I heard the little patter of feet.

"Humm, I wonder where Bella is?" Don asked out loud. I smiled and peeked over at her hiding behind the door frame. He had his back to her but he knew she was there.

"I don't know. But she's gonna miss breakfast." I said playing along. She poked her head out and put a finger to her lips and slowly started to sneak up behind Don. All the while a huge grin spread across his face.

"I sure do miss her though. I hope she comes out soon." he smiled. I leaned back on the counter as she got a few steps away from the back of his chair and before she could jump at him, he jumped out his seat, picked her up and threw her in the air. A fit of giggles filled the air as she screamed in joy. He threw her up one more time and cradled her like a baby when she came back down.

"I found her!" he exclaimed and smiled down at her.

"I here!" she smiled up at him. "I here, Daddy!"

My hear skipped a beat. I only heard her say mommy and papa. I never thought she'd get the chance to call someone daddy since Jason was gone. I never called anyone daddy since my own father passed and even though Mac was there for me. I knew my dad so Mac couldn't and didn't want to take that. But Isabella never knew hers. All knew was Don.

I let out a shaky breath as Don looked over at me. I could tell he was hesitant on smiling but I was the glint in his eye. He loved that. I loved that. I sent him a teary smile and he winked. I walked over as he kissed her forehead and passed her to me.

"Mommy!" she smiled and hugged my neck. I hugged her back and felt Don slip his hands around my waist and kiss the back of my neck.

And this made it all better…I only wished I could stay here instead of going to the precinct later.


	25. Never Have To Ask

**Hello! Here is chapter 25. There are a couple things I need to address.**

**There will only be a few more chapters. I have chapter 26 done, here might be two more after that. Then it's going on break. BUT there will be a sequel! I might change the name but so far it's Bonds:The Ties That Bind. I'm not too sure where it will pick up or how long it will be but there will be a 2nd part to this.**

** In the meantime, being that I love NY and the new season is in arm's reach...lol, I have started a new NY story. I wanted to have the first chapter posted before this one was done just because and I have. The story is called Très Joli. I have chapter one posted and so far so good. That was a shameless plug, huh? LOL**

**With that said, thanks for all the reviews! Now here's my shout out...**

**JaydenBell- Yes, I needed a filler after all that drama. It stressed me out and I needed a tiny break. **

**hope4sall- Yes, no one died, well except Ashley. Don has come a long ways since Devon, huh? lol**

**BEG75- Yes, we needed a some happpiness after the storm! Glad I could help! **

**Bluehaven4220- Yes, ya gotta love the fluff. Sara is a good mom after all that had happened. Thanks! :)**

**RedK-UK- lol...Yeah, that's gotta be a heart stopping moment. Especially after she thought that Bella woudl never have to say that.**

**WinchesterWench- Yes, he is. I remember in one ep a lady said 'Oh, I was expecting big burly men wiht guns.' When him and Stella showed up. He said well if you look my way you will see one. He goes from a big burly detective to a softy in no time, huh? lol Thanks! :) :)**

**katydid13- Yes, aww about sums it up, huh?**

* * *

I was pumping gas at the tiny gas station at the corner of Marlow and 45th. Isabella had pointed someone out walking to us. I turned around and met a rock to the face. I woke up with my daughter in a dark basement. She didn't say much until the day we were freed. She revealed herself as Ashley Scott, an old acquaintance that helped me when I was in labor. One time when she was gone I snuck Isabella out the tiny window. Ashley came back and ranted about the murders and pulled out a gun. She raised it to her head and fired. One single shot. Detective Don Flack and Danny Messer barged in and that was it.

That was all I said all day. I repeated it four or five times and corrected the statement taker when she would screw up. I asked for anyone but a rookie but no such luck. The day started great with breakfast but soon turned into a circus when I was taken to one room where they informed me someone would be talking to Isabella. But Don said he'd watch over and make sure they didn't upset her. And after looking over each case and having facts that I already knew repeated to me over and over again, I was finally free. I assured my supers I was fine and wanted to return to work in a few days. Only asking for a few days because me, Don and Bella had a date at Coney Island.

"Aggravated?" Don smirked as I stormed into the pit.

"You have no idea." I growled and looked around. "Where's my child?" I asked.

"Lab. I had some work to do so I sent her with upstairs." he told me and closed a file on his desk.

"Yeah, she needs to be around smart people more." I winked and earned a glare from him.

"Be nice, Roberts." he grinned. "I got lunch at noon, you and Bella wanna join me?" he asked. I sat on the edge of his desk and looked around.

"You buying?" I asked.

"Only if you join. If not, I'm going with Ricardo and he's buying." he laughed. I smiled at him and nodded.

"Yes, we will tag along." I stood up and sighed. "Well, I'm going to get my rat from the lab and mingle with the high IQ's."

"You better watch yourself, Bear." he threatened and stood up in front of me. I crossed my arms and looked up at him.

"Or what?" I challenged. He smirked and held my face in his hands before leaning down to give me a small kiss. I wasn't expecting him to do that at work but I didn't mind.

"Alright, enough of that shit. You can do that at home!" Ricardo yelled fro his desk. I flipped him my middle finger and pulled away from Don.

"I'll see you at lunch." I whispered and took off for upstairs.

* * *

I exited the elevator and looked around for someone familiar. I smiled when I spotted Danny at the end of the hallway getting a soda. I lightly jogged down the hallway and crashed into Danny, wrapping my arms around him from behind.

"You want me to get beat up?" he chuckled, after looking over his shoulder. I let him go so he could turn around and before he could say or do anything else, I hugged him.

The tears and emotion came out of nowhere. I remembered seeing his face last night as he burst into the room and I just wanted to hug him.

"It's okay." he whispered and rubbed my back. I nodded and pulled back smiling.

"Thank you." I said wiping my tears away.

"For what?" he asked looking down at me.

"For saving me, Messer. Thank you." I smiled. He pulled me in for another hug and kissed my head.

"I'd do it any day." he declared pulling me down the hall. "But that don't mean you can go out looking for a kidnapper." I laughed and walked with him down to Mac's office. I could hear Bella's shriek's as we got closer and shook my head.

"Well, I'll leave you be. I gotta get some work done. But you should come out with us later. I invited Don but he said he was going to stay with you." he told me.

"I'll think about it." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek before he left. I watched him leave and gently pushed the door to Mac's office open. I saw Stella holding Isabella in the floor blowing raspberries on her tummy and Mac laughing from the edge of his desk. I couldn't help but think that they would be great parents and a good couple.

"Mommy!" Bella yelled from the floor. "No tick. No tick, Tella." she laughed. I walked into the room and fell on my knees beside Stella.

"I don't think she's had enough." I smiled at the curly haired detective.

"Me neither." she smiled. I grabbed Bella's feet as Stella went back to her tummy, we lead the double attack on her as she screamed and laughed out loud.

"Papa! Papa!" she screamed for Mac. He shook his head and bent down at her head.

"You want help?" he asked. She nodded her head and laughed as we continued our attack. He sighed playfully and grabbed her arms and slowly pulled her out of mine and Stella's battleground. He pulled her up in his arms and she smiled at everyone while catching her breath.

"Tank you, Papa." she said kissing his cheek. Stella and me got to our feet and smiled at her.

"Papa got me. Papa got me." she taunted and stuck her tongue out. I couldn't help but laugh and walked over to her.

"I see that." I said holding my hands out. She smiled and jumped into my arms. "Was she good?" I asked sitting down next to Stella on the sofa.

"An angel." Stella beamed. I laughed and let Bella scoot off my lap and go to the corner where Mac had a few pens and paper laid out. That's when the conversation turned serious.

"How are you?" Stella asked. I sighed and then looked at them both.

"Good." I replied.

"Honestly?" Mac asked.

"Yeah. I'm not perfect, but I'm good. I think at times I'm more pissed off than anything." I told them.

"At you or Ashley?" Mac asked.

"I'm taking it Don talked to you." I laughed. "Ashley. For taking us and doing all this."

"What else besides anger do you feel?" Stella asked. I smirked at her and answered.

"I'm upset. Me and Bella could have been hurt or killed. My main concern was Bella. But that's scary. Sitting there thinking that this could be the last time we see each other. It's hard." I whispered the last. Stella reached over and gave me a quick sideways hug.

"It's okay now." she assured me.

"But you're doing good?" Mac asked again. I smiled at him and looked over at Bella.

"Yeah, we're good." I assured them. "Don said you found a letter?" I asked.

"Yeah, we took it as a confession. Only her prints were found on it and the writing matched hers from receipts we found in the house." Mac told me.

"What all did it say?" I asked.

"Everything. She explained how she picked the buildings, which you gotta thank Adam for figuring out, she said why she chose them and why she did it." Stella told me.

"She even wrote about why she kidnapped you." Mac added.

"Yeah, what better way to get attention than to kidnap a cop that you helped through labor." I snarled.

"Not exactly." Stella whispered.

"She saw you being a cop as a form of child abuse. She said cops are always in danger and she used a lot of statistics about how children with cops for parents grow up with emotional disorders." Mac explained.

"She practically saw everyone that had children as abusers. She said the world was too dangerous for children and no children should be born into the world until its safe." Stella added.

"She was delusional. The world will never be safe." I said shaking my head.

"We know. But she didn't. She went too far." Mac told me. I nodded and stood up.

"Way too far." I agreed. "You think you could do me a favor?" I asked looking at Mac.

"Yes, I will watch her tonight." he smiled. I walked over and waited for him to stand. He pulled me into a big hug and kissed the top of my head.

"I was so worried about you." he whispered. "I thought I lost you too."

"I'm sorry." I cried.

"It's not your fault." he said and pushed me back to look at him. "But it did show me how much you've grown on me." he winked.

"Thanks." I laughed. "I love you, Mac." I smiled.

"I love you too, Sara Beth." he smiled and pointed at Bella. "Just drop her off at my place when you're on your way out." I nodded and turned to Stella.

"I missed you." she gushed and hugged me. "We gotta do lunch soon."

"Yes, we do. I have lots to say." I laughed and let her go. "I'll call you tomorrow with plans." I turned around and picked Bella up as I left. I looked at my watch and saw I had half an hour before I had to meet Don.

"Oh Adam?" I sang and walked into the AV lab. He turned in his seat so fast he nearly flew off and smiled at me and Bella.

"I've been watching you in Mac's office. I wanted to just walk over and say hey, but Mac wouldn't like that. But I was really tempted because I was so worried about you two and now that you're back, I wanted to say hey. But I didn't-"

"Adam!" I laughed and cut him off. He shut his mouth and looked at me expectantly.

"You're rambling, honey." I smiled. He turned a slight shade a pink and nodded.

"Sorry." he apologized. I set Bella in his chair and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thank you." I smiled. He got serious and nodded.

"I tried thinking like you. Thinking outside the box. It all came to me after that." he told me truthfully.

"I really appreciate that, Adam. You have no idea. Don told me about the work you put in, that all of you put in. But he praises you as the case breaker." I smiled.

"Really?" he asked smiling.

"Yeah." I nodded. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into him.

"I'm just glad you two are okay." he whispered and kissed me cheek. I bit my lip and pulled back.

"Why Adam, I didn't think you had it in you." I teased, making him blush again. I felt my phone vibrate and looked at the ID.

"Speaking of Don." I laughed and looked back at him before picking Bella up. "We're going out tonight, you should come." I offered.

"Thanks, I'll be there." he smiled. I gave him a peck on the cheek and answered the phone as I walked out.

* * *

I sat outside of Ronnie's diner waiting for Sara and Bella. I called her and she said she had just finished rounds at the lab. I was on my way back from a witnesses house so I went ahead and stopped.

"Daddy!"

I smirked down at the table and slowly looked behind me at Sara and Bella. Sara was biting her lip, holding a smile and Bella was holding her arms in the air. As Sara walked by Bella slid from her grip and down into mine.

"Sorry about that." Sara apologized.

"For what?" I asked sitting Bella next to me.

"For her calling you that." she whispered.

"Bear, does it bother you when she says that?" I asked seriously.

"No but-"

"Okay. It doesn't bother me. I am practically her dad, right?" I asked. "Not by blood but I've always been there. And you know how it feels to not have a dad, even though you had Mac. She needs that father figure." I told her. She smiled and slid her hand across the table to hold mine.

"I won't ask anything of you." she told me.

"You've never had to ask, Bear." I smirked. "And you never will."


	26. Ya Can't Always Get What Ya Want

**Okay I hate to say it but next chapter is the last one for this installment. I really need this break though. I've run out of things for Don and Sara at this point but I am already brainstorming for the next part. IT will msotly likely pick up two years from now. But I have the majoiry of teh last chapter done and I'll post when I feel like I got all the reviews I normally get. **

**I wanna thank BEG75, hope4sall, WinchesterWench, JaydenBell, Bluehaven4220, and Loveyourforevermyflame for reviewing! BEG, Adam is so adrokable, I agree...lol. Stella and the raspberries jsut popped in my head. i've always thought Stella would make a great mother. I'm glad all of you liked it and thanks for reviewing. Most of you have stuck with it since the beginning and that makes my day! Thanks and Enjoy!! :)**

* * *

Don sat in the car tapping his fingers on the wheel, waiting for them to hurry up. As if Sara didn't take forever to get ready now she has Isabella to get ready and that left Don in the car for nearly half an hour. He could only shake his head when Sara came bounding out the house, wearing a big grin, and carrying her toddler. He couldn't help smirk at her outfit, a pair of short khaki shorts that tied at the sides and a white long sleeved Rangers shirt. It surprised him at how she could make a simple out fit like tonight's so attractive.

"I know, I know. Don't say anything." Sara smiled as she buckled Bella in. She knew he had loads of comments on how late she was but she couldn't help it. The past few days had been hell and she wanted to look good when she went out. Plus, Bella couldn't find her Bunnie and she was throwing a fit.

"I wasn't going to." he smiled and backed out of his driveway. He really wasn't too worried about it. Everyone knew Sara had a tendency to be late and she didn't know this but they purposely started setting earlier times so she would arrive one time. Danny was the one that started it one year for Mac's birthday. He told her that dinner was at 6pm when it was actually at 7. Like her usual self, she came waltzing into the restaurant at 6:50 and was puzzled as to why they were all laughing.

"I'm excited." Sara smiled and pulled the visor down to re-apply her lip gloss. Don smirked and moved his hand to rest on her leg.

"I can tell." he laughed. She stuck her tongue out and wrapped her fingers with his when she was done with her gloss. "Listen, I wanna talk about something." he said seriously. Sara's body tensed as he started to rub her finger.

'_Please, do not tell me he's breaking up with me. Now of all times.' she thought._

"I don't want you to let out that aggravated sigh that you have or argue with useless points, alright? I'm serious here." he told her. She cracked a smiled at how well he knew her but he should know.

"What is it, Donnie?" she asked softly, slightly turning in her seat to look at him. He took a deep breath and smiled, looking at her from the corner of is eye.

"I want you two to move back in with me." he told her. "I think it's better that way. It'd be cheaper that way. We can split the bills, whatever. And you love so close anyways so why not just cut that space…" he went on and on. He had thought about the reasons for her to move back in because he knew she would protest. But he really wanted her there, her and Bella.

Sara smiled as he kept naming off reasons for her to move back in with him. She leaned over to him as he stopped at a red light and kissed him softly. She pulled back and smiled at him.

"You don't have to give me reasons, Donnie." she smiled. "Just tell me you miss me and you want me back home." Don pulled her in for another kiss before the light turned. She sat back in her seat and laced their fingers together.

"Alright." he grinned and looked over at her. "I miss you and I want you to come back home." Sara kissed his hand and nodded.

"Thanks, for admitting that and asking." she smiled. "But no." Don tapped the brakes by accident and gaped at her.

"What? Why?" he asked. Sara burst out laughing and shook her head.

"I was kidding. I didn't think you'd nearly wreck though." she laughed. Don sighed and pulled onto Mac's street.

"You're gonna kill me." he sighed.

* * *

After dropping off an already asleep Bella as Mac's and leaving his car behind so they could both fully enjoy the night, they were in a cab on the way to the bar. Sara was snuggled up to Don's side and he was looking out the window.

"You can stop here." Don told the man. Sara sat up and looked around.

"We still got three more blocks." she stated as Don paid the driver. Don grinned at her and held out his hand to help her out. She grabbed it and stretched when she got to her feet.

"It's a nice night, figured we could enjoy it while we can." he told her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. Sara smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. Both couldn't help but think about how clichéd this was. A couple out for a night, walking to enjoy the city while they can, both curled into each other. It was like something out of a movie, but it felt so right.

Don leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Hey." he whispered. Sara looked up at him and smiled. It was hers that was infectious now because he couldn't help but smile back. He now remembered all those times that he had seen Sara smile and look at Jason like that and always wondered what it was like, now he knew. But this puzzled him even more. Don didn't understand why Jason would break that and he swore to himself that he never would.

"I love you, Sara."

She smiled wider when she heard her name come form his lips. He didn't call her Bear this time. She knew he meant it the first time but by not using her nick name, he meant it in a whole new light. A light that she didn't get form Jason and light she never saw until now.

"I love you too." she whispered back and tipped toed to kiss him.

"Well, it's fancy meeting you here."

Sara and Don both froze. She slowly flattened her feet and turned to look at Renee. She felt Don wrap one arm around her waist, telling her he wasn't happy to see her either.

"Renee." Sara greeted casually. She did not want to start any kind of argument tonight, it was supposed to be fun.

"Looks like you two are cozy, huh?" Renee smiled. "Odd though, one would think you'd be at home with your child seeing as you both were kidnapped a few days ago." Sara felt her blood start to boil but felt Don squeeze her side.

"She's asleep and with Mac. I needed a little fresh air. One gets stressed after being kidnapped." she smiled. Don smirked and looked away.

"I would say I'm sorry to hear that but I won't. This is the perfect ammo I need for my case. My grand-daughter was kidnapped on your watchful eye, Sara. That was a blessing for me." Renee laughed. Don tried to hold her back but Sara pulled out of his grip and got in Renee's face.

"That's exactly why you won't get her. You see a tragedy as a blessing to get your way. You're a sick, dick woman, Renee Callahan!" she yelled. "I was knocked out and kidnapped. We were tied up in a basement for days and I had a gun pointed at me and then watched out kidnapped shoot herself! Do you think I asked to get kidnapped and asked to put her through that. Trust me, I've blamed myself but I know better now. You can't fight what is destined to happen or see the future, or else your mother would have given you up the moment she saw what a twisted, bitch you would be."

"Yeah, well I'll be the twisted, bitch that has your daughter in weeks time. But don't worry I might let you see her once a week." Renee snarled and then looked over at Don. "But that's a big might."

Don was surprised when Sara turned around to him, tears in her eyes, and started to walk away. Even thought he was supposed to keep her at bay, it seemed now that she should have kept him there. Sara felt his grip tighten as she took a step and noticed he was moving the opposite way. He was going after Renee.

"Listen, Renee. I might not have a right to say anything-"

"No, you don't. You're not he father." Renee interrupted.

"Oh but she calls me daddy." he smirked. "But you won't get her. You can try but there is now way in hell you're taking that little girl from us. She has a perfectly stable home environment, two parental figures and all the family you didn't want to give her. We gave you the chance to be in her life but you declined. So that's' your fault. But you wanna get a lawyer and take this to court, go ahead. Because I can guarantee you when we walk into the judges chambers I will have every single NYPD Homicide detectives and the NYPD Crime Lab trailing behind us. So go ahead, take your best shot." Don snapped. Renee stared at the tall detective in front of her and with one last huff, she walked off.

They watched her walk off and when Don went to walk off Sara stayed still this time. He looked back at her and noticed the tears falling down her face.

"Hey, hey, hey." he whispered and pulled her over to a tiny alley. She leaned against it and cried softly as he rubbed his face. "Bear, she won't get Bella, I can pro-"

"It's not Renee, Donnie." she cried and looked up at him. He knew this wasn't the time to tell her how cute she looked but she did. Her nose and eyebrows were red, her eyes glistened, and her lips a pout made her look all the more adorable.

"Then what's wrong, babe?" he asked. She wiped her face and sighed, then with a tiny smile she looked pu at him.

"It's you." she told him.

"I made you cry?" he asked. She let out a tiny laugh but it was masked by a hiccup.

"Well, yeah. You never once said me, it was us. You said you won't let her take Bella away from us." she explained. "You were right. The other day when you said that Bella needed a father. I did grow up without one and I don't want that for her." she cried. "I want her to have the over protective Daddy that stays up at night waiting for her to get home. I want him to take hr fishing even though she might stick her nose up at the idea. I want her to have more than just a Mac."

"You should know that Bella wouldn't do without. Didn't we agree I would be the sorta father figure?" he asked.

"You're past that, Don." she smiled. "Don, she knows who Jason is. She kisses his picture when she goes to bed. She knows that's her daddy but not once has she called him daddy. She call's him her Angel. She calls you daddy. She see's you as her dad."

Don wasn't sure how she felt about this. Sure she was telling him bit he wasn't too sure about how she felt about that. He loved it. Lord, knows he didn't want to take anything away from Jason, especially Bella. It's his child and it killed Don that he never got to see or meet her, but he loved being that to her. He wanted to be that for her. He wanted to be her father. Her daddy.

"I don't mind that, Sara." he whispered. "That little girl means the world to me. She always has and she always will. It doesn't matter if she calls me daddy or asshole, I'll never stop loving her. So if she wants to call me her daddy, it's far from a burden."

Sara smiled ad wiped her face off before leaning up to kiss him. It was a simple kiss at first but both started to feel the time apart since their last rendezvous and it quickly became more. Don pulled her as close as she could get and wrapped his hand in her hair.

"Why don't we catch cab back home?" Don whispered, trailing his kisses down her neck. Sara chuckled and pushed him away.

"No, we're not ditching them." she smiled as he pouted. "We can go home when we are totally shit faced drunk, alright? I need this."

"And I need you." he grinned and tried to pull her to him again. She laughed and pushed away.

"Ya can't always get what you want." she sang and started to walk off.

"I will later. You just wait." he laughed and walked after her.


	27. Thank You

I know, I know. It is short but hopefully, sweet. I've already started gathering ideas for the sequel. As of now it's being called The Ties That Bind, I'm hoping I won't change my mind...lol. I'm not sure if I want to pick it up two years from now or pick up after it left off. All I know is there will be more drama, more fluff and more Don, Sara and Bella! It won't be too long before I get the first chapter up though. I wanna get the moajority of it outlined and at least the first three chapters done before I do anything. I want to deeply thank each and every one of you who reviewed and stuck with me. It makes my day when I get reviews from you and it keeps me going. I also want to thank those of you who trailed over to read Joli...lol. I know some of you, ;), were a little iffy but I was okay with that. Again, thank you for all the support and reviews.

**BEG75- **I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I LOVE you! LOL Thank you so very much for everything. All the reviews and support! Thank you! I know I've said this before and I'll say it a million times over...You are amazing. The fact that you showed the least bit of interest in this, sent me to cloud nine, but you also follow all my non-NY work too. That means a lot. So thanks! xhugsx

**JaydenBell- **You are another that has been there for a while! I actually loved that you were kind of iffy about Tres Joli...lol. The fact that Bonds had you so buzzed was like huge to me. But I'm glad you're liking Joli too! But thanks so much for reveiwing all the time! It makes my day to have the repeat reviewers...lol. I hope to see you when I post the sequel! :) :)

**WinchesterWench- **I Love You! xhugsx You give me the BEST compliments ever! I take them to heart and they make me keep going. Thank you so much for sticking with me. It means a lot. I hope to see you for the sequel! Thanks again! :) :)

**hope4sall- **Like with BEG, I read your work. And I love it when another author reads my stuff and likes it! So thanks so much for taking the time to read and review. It means a lot! Thanks, again!! :) :) :)

**ilovecsinewyork- **Thanks! I'm glad you read it and liked it! I love writing Bella and in the sequel she will have a bigger part. So more of her coming up. Thanks! :) :)

**RedK-Uk- **Don't see it as ending! See it as a tiny break...lol. I'm bad about posting really fast so the seqeul will be out soon. I'm not taking a two month long break...lol. Maybe a month! But I'm glad you liked it and hopefully, I'll see you around for the sequel! :)

**Bluehavan4220- **LOL Yes, it will continue. I need a tiny break to think. I wrote all that I could for this installment. And, like I said above, i'm not sure what the time gap will be but I'm leaning towards tweo years or something. But I'm sooo happy you liked it! Thanks a bunch!! :) :)

* * *

Sara had done exactly what she said. They got shit faced drunk and had a blast. After the Renee encounter they made it to the bar to meet Danny, Adam, Lindsey and Hawkes. They avoided any kind of work related talk and focused on sports and the latest movies. At one point, before they were trashed, they were making fun of the people that were drunk as they tried to dance. But about an hour later they were the butt of the laughter. Sara had gotten the sudden urge to dance and asked Don but he rejected her offer. After pouting and bickering about it she gave up and turned to Adam. His cheeks turned a bright red as she pulled him from his seat and on to the dance floor. He kept looking over at Don, afraid, but Sara assured him he'd be free in a minute. Like clockwork, Don strolled over and let Adam go back to sit down. Sara smiled drunkenly up at him as he danced with her.

"Happy now?" He asked. She leaned up to kiss him in a silent yes. He didn't let go of her the rest of the night, literally. She sat in his lap in the cab and he had to carry her in the house. She giggled the whole way up the stairs and to his bedroom where he laid her down. The moment switched as he covered her body with his and kissed her. The giggles, the buzz and everything else disappeared in that kiss. The only thing that was on their mind was each other.

Nothing else mattered to Don as he touched her silky skin with his lips and fingers. Nothing mattered when he saw a tiny smile form on her face when he kissed his way across her stomach. That night was just about them. The way they touched, the way they kissed, the way they moved together as one and the way they whispered to each other the sweet nothings that meant the most. His name coming from her lips as he held her tightly when she came around him. The long, deep sigh he released into her neck when he reached his limit. And the light laughter they had when they rolled around in the sheets for another long love making session. That was what the night was about. That was what they wanted and needed. And it's what they didn't want to end.

But that didn't happen.

"Oh god." Sara groaned as she slipped on one of Don's dress shirts when Bella's whine came through the monitor. Don smirked into his pillow when he laid back down from pulling his pants on. A few minutes later Sara came walking in with Bella.

"Hey, Bella." Don whispered. She had tears in her eyes and crawled between him and Sara when she was set down.

"She had another nightmare." Sara smiled and covered up. They watched the little girl in between them as she drank form her sippy cup and restlessly moved around. Don watched as she would look over at Sara and smile then look over at him. He reached out and poked her nose and she moved over to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and played with her hair. Sara laughed when Bella's eyes slowly started to close.

"I'll move her in a minute." she whispered to Don. He shook his head and laid back on the pillow.

"Nah, she's good." he whispered back. Sara smiled and crawled over the two of them to Don's other side. He smirked at her when she ;aid her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck.

"Jealous?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

"She took my spot." Sara laughed. He kissed her head and closed his eyes. He didn't fall asleep immediately, instead he found himself looking between the two girls on each side of him. He laughed a little when he thought of what Danny would say about this.

* * *

They all three sat at the breakfast table the next morning. Don sitting at one end reading the sports section of the newspaper, Sara sitting opposite of him reading a book with her legs drawn up to her chest, picking at toast and Bella seated between them in her high chair playing with Cheerio's. It was nice. It was normal and neither wanted to say anything in fear of breaking the moment. The only break in silence was when Bella's cheerio hit the back of Don's paper. Sara looked over at smiled seeing Bella grinning waiting for Don to say something. But he didn't. He kept reading his paper. Sara furrowed her brow and saw the disappointment on Bella's face. She was about to speak up when Don yanked the paper from his face and made a funny face at Bella. Bella jumped and started laughing at him as he folded his paper up and set it down. Sara watched as they started to make faces at each other.

"Sometimes I wonder who's older." she laughed, not taking her eyes away from her book. She felt something go down her shirt and bit her lip. Her peered over the edge of the book and saw Don munching on Bella's Cheerio's. "Nice shot, Donald." she smirked and dug the cereal from her tank top. He winked at her and grinned but stopped when the door bell rang.

"Who could that be?" Sara asked setting her book down. She started to get up but Don waved her down.

"Stay. I'll get it." he told her and walked to the door. He looked out the peep hole and saw no one. He opened the door and saw a manila envelope on the floor. He picked it up and sighed when he was who it was for and who it was from. He slowly walked back into the kitchen and the mail in front of Sara.

She looked down at it and her heart fell. It was from Renee. She looked over at Don as he propped his elbows up on the table and stared at her.

"I don't wanna open it." she said and pushed the envelope over to Don. He looked at her and shook his head.

"I can't open your mail. It's a felony, you know that." he reminded her. Sara grabbed the butter knife from the table and ripped the top off and poured the contents in front of Don, making sure to look away.

"Better?" she asked sarcastically. Don sighed and picked up the papers. He turned them over and noticed they were not papers, but pictures. He flipped through the pictures of him, Bella and Sara at Coney Island. There were some of him spinning Bella around and some of Sara and Bella playing in the sand. The one that made him smile though was the one of Bella sitting on his shoulders as he kissed Sara.

"Well?" Sara asked impatiently. She was waiting for the bad news. News that said Renee had a good chance of taking her child away or that she was already loosing her.

"Hold on." Don mumbled when he found a tiny hand written note. He read it over and was shocked. "You won't believe this." he told her. Sara opened her eyes and looked over at him. She saw the pictures and grabbed them. She looked through them and then grabbed the note he was holding out for her.

_Dear Sara Beth,_

_I know you're expecting papers from my lawyer but don't hold your breath. I took these the other day while I was out. I spotted you three and was tempted to go over to you but instead something told me to stay and watch. I did. This is what I saw. All these pictures, this is what I saw. I saw you as a mother and I saw how happy Isabella was. I looked at you three and I saw a family. It killed me to come to this realization seeing as the father is not Jason but Donald. Jason would have wanted this though. I know he made mistakes but he loved you and he would have loved that little girl. All he would want is for you two to be happy. Unfortunately, I have not let you have that lately. _

_At first, I didn't want to see her. I lost my child and I could not keep composure enough to look at his flesh in blood. Selfish, I know. But I loved my son. I loved him with all my heart and I was grieving. It turned me cold though. After a while I wanted my son back. The closest thing to having him was Isabella. I know we have never been on the best of terms and I do apologize. Especially, for these past two years. I have not been a person I'd want my children to be around. I just, I miss Jason dearly. _

_I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me so I can try and build a relationship with my grand-daughter. I understand if you do no respond, I understand if you need time. I will also understand if you make it to where I never see her again. I know my actions were wrong and I know I have no excuse. I just hope that you won't have to deal with loosing a child. It just shouldn't be that way. You can keep the pictures, I made copies for myself. I hope to hear from you soon. _

_Renee._

Sara stared at the paper in front of her and didn't look up until a tear fell on it. She watched the blue ink spread and finally laid it down. She looked over at Bella and smiled. A rush of emotion came over her and she picked Bella up and hugged her. The little girl giggled at her mothers sudden show of affection and hugged her back. Sara looked over Bella's shoulder to a smiling Don and bit her lip. He reached a hand over and gripped hers. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

* * *

She wasn't quite sure what she did to deserve this little girl but whatever she did she'd do it over again and thank god for blessing her. Sara had been at her worst possible low when she found out about the pregnancy but bow looking back, it didn't look so low. If only she'd known what a doll that baby was she would have been happier. But she didn't worry about that. She loved this little girl more than anything in this world. Nothing could change that.

"You okay?" Don's voice asked from behind her. Sara smiled down at Bella and nodded. She felt his arms go around her waist and his head on her arm. He looked over at Bella sleeping and smiled. He never thought for a second that he would have been as attached to her as he is. But it all came so quick and so naturally. At first he didn't think anything of it because they lived with him. But after they moved out he always felt he needed to go see them. He missed them. He hated not having them near. Some nights he has actually felt kind of pissed that Sara decided to move out. He felt like she was taking Bella from him and that angered and upset him. Then he'd kick himself for thinking like that. Bella wasn't his child…by blood. And blood might be thinker than water, but love is thicker than both.

Sara looked over at the picture of Jason next to the bed and smiled.

"Ya know for two years, I've hated him. I've wished him alive so I could wish him dead again. I've cursed him for hurting me and cursed him for leaving. And I made reasons of why I should hate him and I've called him every name in the book. But if I ever saw him again I don't think I'd say those things." she smiled.

"What would you say?" Don asked. Sara smiled down at Bella and touched her nose.

"Thank you." she whispered.


End file.
